Temperatures in the ground around 30 feet below the surface remain relatively constant year-round—somewhere between about 10°C and 15°C. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) take advantage of these constant underground temperatures to efficiently exchange temperatures, heating homes in the winter and cooling homes in the summer.
Geothermal Heat Pumps move heat from one place to another using electricity. Heat pumps can be used to heat and cool buildings, moreover geothermal heat pumps also decarbonize heating and cooling and save energy on a large scale, according to energy.gov – using geothermal heat pumps in the US could avoid as much as 24,000 miles of new grid transmission lines by 2050 (that’s enough to cross the US continent 8 times!)
Is Geothermal energy the future?
Launched in June 2024, The National Geothermal Centre (NGC) is a collaboration between Durham University, the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), SHIFT Geothermal, and The Reece Foundation. The centre will operate in Aberdeen, Durham, and London, and will work with government, industry, and academia to expand geothermal development. The National Geothermal Centre is a non-for-profit organisation bringing together key stakeholders to enable geothermal development at speed and at scale. The NGC’s primary goal is to increase the use of geothermal heat and electricity in the UK’s renewable energy mix.
The installation of a Ground Source Heat Pump starts with installing the ground loop, these can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical installation will require contractors to drill several hundred feet deep into the earth. John Lawrie Tubulars can supply Large Bore drill rods like BR50 / 2 3/8” IF – which are manufactured in-house (Made in Britain Accredited) and perfect for Geothermal Drilling. In addition, our steel tubulars can be used for casing geothermal wells which are drilled to capture the power of geothermal energy.
We regularly supply steel tubular products for both single developments and large-scale commercial projects which often can require 1000m or more of pipe. Our repurposed steel tubulars are high grade, they save C02 emissions and are a cost effective sustainable solution – you don’t need to buy brand new steel to get the best product for your project!
We don’t just sell products and services to the Geothermal Sector, we also support the drive to promote the installation of heat pumps through our associate membership with the GSHPA.
What is in a Geothermal Heat Pump System?
Geothermal heat pump systems can vary in the type of collector and connections used.
A GHP system includes:
- An underground heat collector—A geothermal heat pump uses the earth as a heat source, using a series of connected pipes buried in the ground near a building. It circulates a fluid that absorbs or deposits heat to the surrounding soil, depending on whether the outside air is colder or warmer than the soil.
- A heat pump—the geothermal heat pump transfers heat between the building or the ground depending on ground and air temperatures.
- A heat distribution subsystem—ductwork is generally used to distribute heated or cooled air throughout the building.
Where Can Geothermal Heat Pumps be Used?
GHPs can be used to heat and cool a single house, single business, or an entire community (college campus, neighbourhood, etc.) They can be implemented as part of new construction or retroactively added for existing buildings and installed in both urban and rural environments. Some systems can even supply homes and businesses with hot water. Geothermal heat pumps can even be scaled up to meet an entire community’s heating and cooling needs on a single network.
District and community-scale geothermal heating and cooling systems use one or more underground loops to create a heating and cooling network that can use a series of heat pumps. New and different configurations of these systems are emerging all over the world.
Our large inventory of repurposed casing pipe ensures that we are perfectly positioned to supply steel pipe and drill rods (UK Manufactured) into the geothermal industry and encourage the UK (and beyond) to move towards a more sustainable, greener circular economy.
