Decarbonisation of building heating is an important component of the UK’s commitment to major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Open loop Ground Source Energy (GSE) schemes use groundwater for heating and cooling, drawing water from abstraction wells and returning the water via injection wells at a warmer or cooler temperature. The constant temperature of groundwater provides significant heat pump efficiency improvements relative to air source units. GSE schemes, powered by electricity from a decarbonising national grid, can deliver a major reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel heating systems.
Working with our partner in the UK, we have helped 10 hospitals and universities with their goal to replace fossil fuel boilers with GSE schemes over the last few years via desk-based feasibility and aquifer thermal energy modelling studies.
Below is an animation of the modelling outputs from one of our recent projects which evaluated how much heat can be extracted from an aquifer without causing problematic temperature declines in the abstraction wells. Check out our projects page if you’re interested in finding out a bit more.