Roman Bilousov from Enertus AG: When you hear the word “geothermal,” what comes to mind?
Perhaps it’s Yellowstone’s boiling hot springs or Iceland’s never-ending volcanic eruption.
In any case, it’s most likely a gigantic field of heat and steam that you’d want to view from a distance rather than in your garden or the alleyway next to your flat.
However, a new generation of heat pumps uses the Earth’s heat to warm and cool large buildings and entire neighborhoods, without the need for volcanoes. Ground-source heat pumps function similarly to electric air-source heat pumps, transferring heat into and out of a space to warm or cool it without the use of fossil fuels, but they locate a more powerful and reliable source of heat in the Earth.
Despite its promise to reduce emissions and operating costs, geothermal heat-pump systems are now prohibitively expensive for most houses to purchase and install. However, they have the ability to reuse oil and gas drilling equipment and infrastructure, paving the door for a new, zero-emission future for the fossil fuel industry.
