Utilising geothermal energy by means of geothermal absorbers and groundwater wells

Abstract

The development of efficient heat pumps has made it possible over the past decades to raise the energy stored in the ground to temperature levels which permit the active heating of buildings. Since the early nineties, novel technologies have helped to integrate absorber systems into building foundations and infrastructure buildings and to develop larger energy potentials at lower cost. These novel absorber technologies are also suited to meet the increasing cooling requirements of modern buildings constructed by recently developed methods. Besides these closed geothermal systems, open systems for the direct utilisation of the groundwater through extraction and re-infiltration are being increasingly used. Sophisticated solutions such as hydraulic and thermal simulations form the basis for the efficient technical design of plant utilising the thermal energy of the ground. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.