Where is the best place to learn pros/cons of geothermal?

[trudyco]

I hear a lot about biodiesel, solar, some wind. But not much on geothermal. My home heating bill was astronomical last month (even with global warming). I read a little bit on geothermal and would like to know more.

[applegrove]

1. Try Canadian links (.ca instead of .com). Lots of experience with it -

as winters are cold.

[ladjf]

2. Numerous sites on the INTERNET. Just google "geothermal".

Twenty years from now, most homes will utilize geothermal technology. It's clean and even now, not too expensive.

[Oerdin]

16. I doubt it.

It isn't commercially viable except in a few rare places where there is a lot of latient geothermal heat. That means places with a lot of volcanic activity, seismic activity, or crustal thinning. That gives us certain parts of California, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and the Yellowstone region. Not much else.

[postulater]

3. I'd move to Iceland for that.

That's where the word geyser comes from.

[Oerdin]

17. Iceland

has lots of volcanos thus geothermal works well there. Like hydroelectric geothermal requires requires very percise geography which is only found in certain places.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. What are you looking for?

a ground source heat pump? Moving to Calaveris county? What? Ground source heat pumps are verry efficient if you have some land, but they are quite expensive to install. I'm not sure what the payback time is but I would be willing to research it as I am in the HVAC industry and find the subject timely, but, like solar, or hybrid cars, I don't think it pencils out yet.

[RC]

5. I wish people would call it what it is.

It is called 'Ground Source Heat Pump'. You pump heat into the ground in the summer and back out in the winter. That is not geothermal.

Most places do not have the conditions to unitize Geothermal. Geothermal is a natural hot spot where you can extract the heat. Think yellow Stone.

The heat pump people call it Geothermal because it sounds more exotic so they can get away with charging more to the gullible..

[skids]

9. "geoexchange" is the new term.

...Though even "real geothermal" people call it geothermal these days. You'll just have to live with it.

For the OP:

http://www.geoexchange.org/

[trudyco]

14. Thanks. This was very useful. I did mean Geoexchange system

We have plenty of land, though hilly with trees. I looked into Photovoltaic and wind power. Neither have a big enough energy output for the cost. Solar hot water might be an option, but we need a place for a tank. Our local electricity guy told how he had a 3000 SF house, well insulated with passive solar (unlike us) and with a geo pump his electric bill is $100 a month. At over 8000' elevation. However, his system is forced air heat. We have half electric radiators and half in-floor hot water heat (with a propane fueled boiler). I was trying to find out if the geoexchange system could handle the hot water.

One of the photovoltaic guys said that geoexchange is not all it's cracked up to be - implying some systems have maintenance problems.

So I was hoping for:
1) systems that can handle hot water, not forced air heating systems;
2) the best system - a consumer report or epinion type assessment of what systems work;
3) and costs.

A friend gave me a copy of MotherEarth News which had an article explaining closed/open systems, etc. I think the site you listed here and banana's suggested site will be very helpful.
Thanks

[NNadir]

15. That's more honest.

"Geothermal" is a term that should be limited to a source of primary energy, which "geoexchange" is not. Real primary geothermal systems depend on rock which is higher in temperature than the boiling point of water.

Calling a heat pump "geothermal" because the heat reservoir happens to be underground is basically just marketing hype and is, in my opinion, fraudulent.

[Dead_Parrot]

18. Not really fraudulent...

As far as latin is concerned, "Geothermal" extracts to "ground-warmth", so could be used either way. "estus ex sillicus" would have been a better name for geothermal (or even "vox ex terra"!), but who speaks latin these days?

:D

[skids]

10. It can pay it's own HELOC interest.

Here's some costing from up over yonder (in loonies):

http://www.geo-exchange.ca/en/whatisgeo/costsavings.htm

The big problem with geoexchange and solar thermal is that there isn't enough competition in the field, but even with prices a bit above where they should be, it still pays back quick enough for many.

[AZCat]

13. Just yesterday we were talking about GSHP at the office.

We've never done anything like that from our office, and I don't think there are any active in Tucson. We have a hard enough time convincing people to install something other than crappy rooftop package units. It's too bad because there are a lot of interesting ideas that can be implemented if the owner/financier is willing to pay the initial costs.




On Edit: found the missing "t".

[NNadir]

6. Inside a volcano, I'd guess.

[sam sarrha]

7. releases vast amounts of Radon gas

[sam sarrha]

8. go Google.. 'coal and uranium' ...thousands of tons of uranium is released

every year by burning coal

[Wordie]

11. Motherearthnews is a great source of into for non-engineers.

I read a fascinating article there about geothermal a few years ago. I googled and didn't immediately find it, but I did find this on the motherearthnews.com site:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/energy-efficient-heating-cooling/other

I don't know if it requires a subscription, but if you're serious about going alternative, I'd recommend it. Libraries often carry it, too.

[bananas]

12. Here's an old post by a DUer who has one

Here's someone who has one
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=30284&mesg_id=30287

Here's someone who was just getting installed
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=30284&mesg_id=30962