Coupled Solar Geothermal Storage System (CSGSS) for Single Residences and District Heated Communities

Concerns about carbon emissions and global warming have increased interest in nonfossil-fuel heating options. Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) offer an electrical heating option. However, on colder days, when heating demands are highest, both the efficiency and heating capacity of ASHPs decrease significantly. This places significant stress on the electrical grid, already stressed by increasing use of intermittent renewable energy source. Geothermal heat pumps (GHP) use the ground, with relatively constant temperature, as a heat source and are therefore are able to provide heat efficiently and with relatively low electrical usage, regardless of weather conditions. However, GHPs both require significant up-front investment and place additional electrical demand on the grid compared with fossil-fuel heating options. Mainstream engineering corporation (MEC) is proposing a coupled solar geothermal storage system (CSGSS) that will further reduce the electrical usage of GHPs, while also reducing the initial cost of the system. The CSGSS uses solar-thermal collectors to both provide domestic hot water and heat the ground, thereby increasing the efficiency of the heat pump and providing nearly carbon/electrical free hot water. From the prospect of the individual home owners, the CSGSS will decrease the initial cost of ownership for both GHPs and solar-thermal hot water systems, while also reducing monthly electrical bills. This will increase economic incentive for these two technologies, resulting in reduced carbon emissions, with minimal impact on the electrical grid. Additionally, the CSGSS system increase the efficiency of both systems beyond the benefit of the two technologies individually, further decreasing overall electrical demand.