Types Of Geo-Exchanger Systems For Underground Heat Extraction

Geothermal energy is one of the most environmental-friendly and cost-effective energy sources with potential to replace fossil fuels and help mitigate global warming. Recent technological progress, energy price variability, difficulty of oil and gas supply from foreign countries and the need to reduce fossil fuel deployment have made the exploitation of geothermal energy, especially for heating and cooling purposes, an attractive and viable energy alternative. The choice of the proper geothermal system (for heating or cooling) is essentially based on the need of cost containment and environmental constraints. These two requirements have led through the years to an enormous research in the sector of geo-exchangers and many improvements have been achieved so far. Today, the choice of design and installation is no more restricted to the traditional open loop versus closed loop. This chapter reviews the main innovative geo-exchanger systems currently available on the market (2014) and highlights their applicability and efficiency as well as advantages and limits.