GEOptimize
  • HOME
  • About
  • Training
    • CGD Courses Online
    • CGD Courses in your Office
    • CGD at IGSHPA
    • Register
  • Services
    • Feasibility
    • Residential
    • Geo Forensics
    • Peer Review
    • Design Assistance
    • GCHP & GHX design
    • Manage your GHX
  • Products
    • Ground Loop Design >
      • GLD quote
    • GeoCube
  • Projects
    • Agriculture
    • Commercial >
      • Steinbach Credit Union
      • Walkerton CWC
      • 2211 West 4th
    • District Systems >
      • Gibsons, BC
      • Seasons of Tuxedo
      • Miami, MB
    • Institutional >
      • Prairie Dale School
      • St. Pierre Church
      • College Universitaire St. Boniface
    • Multi-family Residential >
      • Bethany Manor
      • YWCA Elm Centre
    • Recreational >
      • Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
    • Retail >
      • Neechi Commons
      • IKEA, Centennial, CO
  • Blog
  • HOME
  • About
  • Training
    • CGD Courses Online
    • CGD Courses in your Office
    • CGD at IGSHPA
    • Register
  • Services
    • Feasibility
    • Residential
    • Geo Forensics
    • Peer Review
    • Design Assistance
    • GCHP & GHX design
    • Manage your GHX
  • Products
    • Ground Loop Design >
      • GLD quote
    • GeoCube
  • Projects
    • Agriculture
    • Commercial >
      • Steinbach Credit Union
      • Walkerton CWC
      • 2211 West 4th
    • District Systems >
      • Gibsons, BC
      • Seasons of Tuxedo
      • Miami, MB
    • Institutional >
      • Prairie Dale School
      • St. Pierre Church
      • College Universitaire St. Boniface
    • Multi-family Residential >
      • Bethany Manor
      • YWCA Elm Centre
    • Recreational >
      • Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
    • Retail >
      • Neechi Commons
      • IKEA, Centennial, CO
  • Blog
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

10/16/2013

Investors are missing an opportunity

The geothermal industry has not been very good at promoting the industry...certainly they haven't done as well as the solar PV or wind industries. Large investment funds have invested millions of dollars to build wind farms and solar PV farms. The only way many of these investments can actually provide a decent return on the investment is because of subsidies and incentives from the government. There are a couple of problems the geothermal heat pump industry has:
  • First, the technology is not visible. You could walk right on top of the largest GHX in the country and you wouldn't know it unless someone told you about it. But you can see the huge phallic symbols of the wind generators for miles and the solar PV cells wherever they are built. Out of sight, out of mind.
  • Second, a GCHP system doesn't produce energy...it uses energy...but only about 20% to 25% of the energy used by any other space conditioning technology. It's not as sexy. You're conserving instead of consuming when you install a GCHP system. Engineers would rather build something they can point at and say "I designed that!"

That being said, investing in a geo system can produce much better returns on your investment. A kWh of electricity produced by a solar PV cell requires more than 100 times as much as a kWh of electricity saved by a GCHP system. The capital investment required to produce a kWh of electricity using a wind generator costs about 36 times more than a kWh saved by a GCHP system. Even compared to a hydro-electric dam, the investment needed to save a kWh of electricity is less than one tenth of the investment needed to save a kWh of electricity with a GCHP system. (download the information comparing a GCHP system with a hydro-electric dam, solar PV and wind generators)

Now we have to figure out how to build an investment vehicle that you can invest your money in!

Comments are closed.


    Ed Lohrenz

    In my blog I'll be expressing my opinions about what I've the learned about ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems over the last 30 years. I've been very fortunate to work with many interesting people who are passionate about this technology...engineers, geologists, mechanical contractors, drillers, excavation contractors...in different parts of the world. I've learned a lot from them and will be using this forum to pass on some of the things I've learned and feel are important. Please feel free to use this information if you feel it's worthwhile...hopefully you can avoid some of the same mistakes I've learned from.

    Archives

    September 2021
    November 2016
    January 2016
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013




    Categories

    All Building Design Energy Storage Energy Supply Energy Use Ground Heat Exchangers Incentives Industry Events Interesting Systems Monitoring Your System Product Info Standards System Design Training Workshops Waste Heat Recovery

    RSS Feed



HOME
ABOUT







Privacy Policy 
TRAINING
      CGD Courses Online

      CGD Custom Courses
      CGD at IGSHPA

SERVICES
  Feasibility
  Geo Forensics
  Peer Review
  Design Assistance
  GCHP & GHX Design
  Manage your GHX
PROJECTS
   Agriculture
   Commercial
   District Systems
   Health Care
   Industrial
   Institutional
   Multi-family Residential
   Recreational
   Retail
BLOG

GEOptimize Inc.                 220 Portage Avenue, unit 1410, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0A5, Canada               +1  204-318-2156