Geothermal update
Palace Geothermal’s tag line on Geoexchange discussion forum.
We heat and cool with dirt.
Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%.
The tag line is true at best conditions. Typical traditional systems yield 70% energy efficiency. Geothermal systems typicaly offer 300% efficiency. All things considered and your mileage will vary.
Well, we met with our regional distributor yesterday. The working numbers look good. Good enough that the next stage will be system design. Once design is approved, move on towards installation contractor. The ROI is going to be about ten years. More or less dependent on other evolving and devolving economic factors to be determined.
So the macro view looks like:
Design approval concurrent with financing approval – neither expected to become problematic.
Contractor selection – the recommended guy is two town’s away – need to get into his schedule ASAP.
Ductwork installation and vertical ground loop bore hole drilling technically can occur concurrently.
System installation – connecting the water furnace between the ground loop and the ductwork.
Connect the domestic hotwater system, which included disconnection from the existing oil fired furnace
Turn on, test, fine tune and place into operation.
Leave the oil fired furnace on stand by for the first season of operation.
OTHER RESOURCES
International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA)
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
This here is where the situtation becomes strangely curious. The tax incentives for geothermal are pretty much nonexistent. This for a clean power source that reduces the demand for fossil fuels. Why is that? It’s quite simple from the government standpoint – you can’t tax free energy. Also, the upfront installation costs, while seemingly prohibitive, but not if you take the long view, are beyond the government’s interest to even remotely subsidize, reward or encourage. You can’t tax freedom from the addiction to oil. The government is not interested.
WC322
