GEOTERMY
Geothermal energy is an energy source available free of charge in nature and is an excellent solution for those who decide to heat, cool, produce domestic hot water and electricity in a sustainable way.
Geothermal energy is divided into low, medium and high enthalpy, based on the most common criterion for the classification of geothermal resources. The high enthalpy is characterized by temperatures above 150 ° C, it is ideal for the production of geo-thermoelectric energy; was born in Italy in 1904 in Larderello, where the first industrial production plant in the world of geothermal electricity was built.
Medium enthalpy geothermal with temperatures between 80 and 150 ° C is useful for the production of electricity and for district heating for small and medium-sized centers, companies or public buildings. For private individuals, low enthalpy geothermal is the most interesting, with temperatures between 20 and 80 ° C.
The subsoil is used as a thermal reservoir for heating, taking heat in winter, and cooling it by releasing it in summer.
This energetic form does not require the need for probes at great depth and is practically usable anywhere. A geothermal heat pump uses low enthalpy geothermal energy and is able to heat or cool an environment and also produce water domestic hot. The heat pump is basically a refrigeration machine, it carries out a sort of heat exchange, transferring it from a colder source to a warmer one.
In the case of geothermal pumps, the source of energy is the heat contained in the ground which is “captured” by means of
geothermal probes connected to the heat pump, the heat is distributed throughout the building, for example through radiant floor panels.
The ground temperature is constant all year round and, therefore, the system will work constantly, without experiencing sudden changes in external temperature and suffer efficiency losses.
Geothermal probes are generally made of polyethylene pipes and can be vertical or horizontal: in the first case they descend into
depth in the ground (even 100/150 meters) and allow the circulation of a fluid inside them generally glycol water, which descends and
it rises by exchanging heat with the subsoil following a “U” shape, in the second they are arranged horizontally and more on the surface.
Even if in Italy geothermal heat pumps are still not very widespread, the advantages they offer are different, starting from their efficiency,
in fact, this is greater than that of other plants and is between 33% and 50%, this ensures lower operating costs, from 50 to 70%
less than a traditional methane, LPG or even more diesel system.
A heat pump can last 20 years; the probes are tens of years old, a geothermal system helps to raise the value of the property.
Geothermal heat pump systems are adaptable to any type of building, from residential to public and for buildings under construction.
certainly presents an ideal solution while for existing buildings it is necessary to check the feasibility.
The cost of the system depends on several factors, the cost of the heat pump, the installation of the probes and the installation of the panels radians to which any costs due to authorizations can also be added.