A GHX is really an energy storage medium rather than an energy source or replacement for a cooling tower. When different types of buildings are connected to a common GHX, waste heat from one building can be stored in the ground and another building can extract heat from the ground. Both buildings can benefit from this synergy.
There are some obvious examples that illustrate the benefits of connecting different buildings to the same GHX: The refrigeration system in an ice arena rejects heat into a GHX most of the year, while a nearby swimming pool extracts heat most of the time. Both systems benefit. The GHX operates at a low enough temperature to make the refrigeration system more efficient than rejecting heat to a cooling tower, while the waste heat from the refrigeration system provides a higher temperature energy source for heat pumps in the pool.
There are some less obvious examples: A residential apartment building is occupied differently than an office building. The apartment building need cooling in the late afternoon and heating in the late evening and overnight, while the office building requires cooling in the late morning and early afternoon. Heat rejected to the GHX in the afternoon by the office building is extracted in the evening by the apartment building.
There are some obvious examples that illustrate the benefits of connecting different buildings to the same GHX: The refrigeration system in an ice arena rejects heat into a GHX most of the year, while a nearby swimming pool extracts heat most of the time. Both systems benefit. The GHX operates at a low enough temperature to make the refrigeration system more efficient than rejecting heat to a cooling tower, while the waste heat from the refrigeration system provides a higher temperature energy source for heat pumps in the pool.
There are some less obvious examples: A residential apartment building is occupied differently than an office building. The apartment building need cooling in the late afternoon and heating in the late evening and overnight, while the office building requires cooling in the late morning and early afternoon. Heat rejected to the GHX in the afternoon by the office building is extracted in the evening by the apartment building.
