Design and evaluation of one of the largest ground source heat pump systems in a large-scale retail store

Abstract

The design and construction of a large-scale retail store called IKEA Fukuoka Shingu included various green technologies, such as a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system and a photovoltaic system. These were introduced to promote a low carbon footprint for the store. Since the GSHP system has one of the largest capacities in Japan, it is important to evaluate the performance of the GSHP system and improve its operational efficiency. In this paper, we present the construction plans for the store, planning and design concepts for the GSHP system, results from operational energy simulations of the GSHP system, and data collected and analyzed over the first year of operations of the GSHP system.