A company in Switzerland has developed panels that can be installed in underground parking garages that can provide geothermal heat to adjacent homes. Enerdrape has created 1.3 m x 0.7 m (4 ft x 3 ft) thin metal panels that can be installed onto concrete walls in underground parking garages. The panels exchange heat with the concrete and the soil behind it. A geothermal heat pump can then move that energy into adjacent homes.
A pilot project is being implemented in Lausanne’s Sebellion District at a parking garage next to a 60 residential unit building. The geothermal system is expected to provide above one-third of the space heating needs for the units. This reduces the amount of fossil fuel needed for space heating and the resulting carbon emissions – a very important goal in Switzerland where space heating is a large portion of a home’s energy budget.
Traditional geothermal heat pumps require wells be drilled into the ground or long trenches with water piping. This system relies on thin panels in contact with concrete and the ground, so no drilling or digging is needed. The panels are thin and complement the décor of ordinarily drab parking decks. The property owner was interested in assisting startup companies and see the benefit for the CO2 reductions possible. If the pilot project is successful, they plan on implementing it at other decks and apartments owned. – Steve Terry, DTC HVAC & Refrigeration Instructor
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