Do you know the temperature at the centre of the Earth? The core of our planet is estimated to be between 5,000 \u00baC and 6,000 \u00baC, a figure very close to the temperature of the Sun’s surface. However, there are places where part of this energy can be extracted, or where the temperature of the ground, which is more stable than that of the air, can be harnessed through geothermal heating and cooling systems for homes.<\/p>\n
As with other natural energy alternatives, geothermal energy for homes aims to harness this natural resource to generate green energy. Although it is not the most common energy source, it is one of the most interesting because of the way it is obtained and the types of installations it requires. Below, we explain how it is possible to extract heating and cooling energy from the Earth for your own use.<\/p>\n
You may find it difficult to imagine how we extract heat from the ground and what potential it offers. It was questions like these that led to the development of this technology. For some historical context, the term comes from the Greek words “geo” (earth) and “thermos” (heat). Attempts to generate electricity from underground heat did not begin until the first decade of the 20th century. It was in 1904 that an Italian researcher launched the first projects, leading to the opening of the first geothermal power station in 1914<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Humans harness this resource by using the Earth’s heat to generate flows of steam or other fluids. Thanks to this continuous cycle, geothermal energy is renewable and completely clean. It captures steam heated by the Earth and converts it into useful energy. However, it is important to clarify that generating electricity is not always viable, as the amount of thermal energy available depends on geological conditions. For this reason, this resource is mainly exploited in areas with hot springs or high geothermal activity.<\/p>\n As with solar or wind energy, the process is not simply a matter of collecting and using the energy. It requires extraction, transformation and adaptation. To implement geothermal energy at home, the following installation process is required:<\/p>\n Although we will not always have land suitable for large scale geothermal energy generation<\/strong>, using geothermal energy at home is always an excellent option to consider for residential heating and cooling.<\/p>\n When planning a geothermal installation for a detached house<\/strong>, we can distinguish between systems according to the temperature they capture and the method used to collect it. This second factor is essential, as performance depends directly on the geology of the plot.<\/p>\n As explained earlier, it is not always possible to use geothermal energy to generate electricity. In residential properties, the main application of geothermal energy is comprehensive heating and cooling.<\/p>\n The real breakthrough offered by low temperature geothermal systems is their ability to meet all of a home’s heating and cooling requirements with a single installation. By harnessing the stable temperature of the ground, the heat pump can completely replace gas boilers, oil boilers and traditional air conditioning systems.<\/p>\n During the winter months, surface temperatures can fall below 0 \u00baC, but at depths of around 15 metres or more, the ground maintains a stable temperature of between 12 \u00baC and 15 \u00baC. This makes geothermal heating extremely cost effective.<\/p>\n Just as we use the ground to heat the interior of a home, in summer the temperature of the earth is lower than that of the outside air, making it an exceptional cooling system. Depending on the technology, its operation can be divided into two methods:<\/p>\n It works like a traditional air conditioning system, <\/strong>but much more efficiently<\/strong>. The heat pump reverses its cycle, extracting heat from inside the home and transferring it into the ground. Because the ground is cooler than the outside air during summer, the compressor requires much less effort to release that heat.<\/p>\n This is the most important distinguishing feature of geothermal energy for residential heating and cooling. When outside temperatures are not extreme, the system can cool the house without switching on the heat pump compressor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n By circulating coolant through the underfloor heating pipes at around 15 \u00baC, the indoor temperature can be reduced passively at practically no cost. The only mechanism that needs to operate is the circulation pump for the underfloor system, which consumes very little electricity. All without draughts or sudden temperature changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When we talk about a geothermal installation for a home, we are generally referring to a heating and cooling system. When discussing geothermal energy for electricity generation, we are usually talking about industrial applications or large communities that can harness this natural resource to make everyday life and industrial processes easier. That is why the most commonly recommended option for residential properties is a conventional geothermal heating and cooling installation.<\/p>\n This involves combining a geothermal system primarily with underfloor heating and cooling, which, as we have already explained, can help maintain a comfortable and stable temperature throughout the year while consuming very little electricity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you know the temperature at the centre of the Earth? The core of our planet is estimated to be between 5,000 \u00baC and 6,000 \u00baC, a figure very close…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-aerothermal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9149"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9152,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149\/revisions\/9152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protenergia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How is a geothermal energy system installed?<\/h2>\n
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Geothermal installations for detached houses<\/h2>\n
Vertical geothermal ground collectors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Horizontal geothermal ground collectors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Open-loop or groundwater geothermal systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Geothermal energy piles<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Domestic applications of geothermal energy<\/h2>\n
Geothermal heating and domestic hot water<\/h3>\n
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Geothermal cooling<\/h3>\n
Active cooling <\/strong>(reverse cycle<\/strong>)<\/h4>\n
Passive cooling or “free cooling”<\/h4>\n