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Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Full Title: Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Author(s): Dr. Charles G. Gertler, Dr. Timothy M. Steeves, and Dr. David T. Wang
Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

Geothermal heating and cooling technologies are important and underutilized solutions for. supporting a more resilient and efficient national energy system, as well as reducing emissions from buildings.

Geothermal heating and cooling technologies can reduce peak electricity demand, increase resilience, and lower ratepayer energy bills. By 2050, the technical potential for geothermal heating and cooling systems equates to up to ~80 million homes (~200 million refrigeration tonsii) across residential and commercial buildings in the United States; however, actual adoption will likely be lower. At full deployment, summer and winter peak demand could be hundreds of gigawatts (GW) lower than for a scenario with less efficient building electrification at similar levels. The peak demand reduction could potentially lower energy payments by tens of billions of dollars nationally due to grid system cost savings, with average annual savings in the hundreds of dollars for homeowners and renters.

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) operate similarly to air-source heat pumps (ASHPs)—using a refrigeration cycle to move heat for heating or cooling—but use the ground as a source and sink of heat, rather than outdoor air. In many cases or regions, GHPs are more efficient, have lower operating costs, and confer greater grid benefits than traditional heating and cooling alternatives. The GHP market share currently represents just 1 percent of installed residential heating compared to 13 percent for ASHPs. While the thermodynamic principles of GHPs and ASHPs are the same, the ground provides a more constant temperature for heat exchange than outdoor air, increasing the efficiency of GHPs.

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