The Geothermal Sustainable Energy Goldmine

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Tapping Into The Geothermal Goldmine

Thursday, October 12, 2006
KRISTINE KISKY for The Columbian Advertisement

Excerpts:



1. Skyrocketing prices are driving people to consider energy alternatives. And geothermal could be one of them.

2. The earth absorbs solar energy and it is stored in the soil, below the surface. The energy contained in the land beneath a home or business can be harnessed and used as a constant and renewable source of heating or cooling, using the technology called the geothermal exchange or geoexchange

3. An underground loop system makes it possible to tap into the subterranean energy. When it's cold outside, liquid in the underground loop absorbs heat as it circulates, and carries it to a geothermal unit, where it is compressed to a higher temperature before the warm air is sent to the indoor heating system. Come summer, the process reverses, pulling heat out of the home and expelling it into the earth.

4. Geothermal systems use a refrigerant to help transfer heat into and out of areas.

5. Geothermal systems operate at much higher year-round efficiencies than a standard heat pump.

6. Systems save homeowners 30 to 70 percent in heating costs, and 20 to 50 percent in cooling costs as compared to conventional climate control systems.

7. Geoexchange systems require little maintenance and add considerably to the value of homes. The polyethylene piping used in the loops is expected to last 50 years or more.

8. Significant federal tax credits are available for people who have a geothermal system installed.

9. There are three primary ways to install the energy-tapping loop system for a geothermal exchange system. (a) horizontal trenches are dug in the ground and hundreds of feet of tubing are laid in them, or (b) vertical holes are drilled in the ground instead of horizontal, or (c) if there is a pond or a lake at or near the home, tubing is submerged in the body of water.

10. Though the concept of a geothermal exchange system is brand new to many, the technology has been around for generations.

11. Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium is a nonprofit organization to promote the use of geoexchange technology. Web site: www.geoexchange.org., Total Energy Concepts, Inc.: www.totalenergyconcepts.net.

Organizations & personalities mentioned: John Lower, Sr., of Total Energy Concepts Inc., Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (GHPC)

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