Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1223154
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | APRIL 2020 | 33 Improving efficiency Geoquip Water Solutions, who work with pumps experts Franklins, are using submersible borehole pumps in an effort to improve efficiency. A s the cost of oil continues to rise and the drive to reduce carbon emissions intensifies, an increasing number of peo- ple and organisations in both the domestic and commercial markets are turning to geothermal solutions to make a difference to their heating bills. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) can be used in a variety of settings, from a home environment through to commer- cial buildings, including factories, office complexes, hospitals and schools. In addition to reducing carbon emis- sions, they have very low running costs and a high resilience factor because – un- like other forms of renewable energy such as wind or solar – they do not suffer from intermittent supply. And in very cold weather, when heat- ing is most needed, a ground source heat pump has access to warmer temperatures from the ground than an air source heat pump has from ambient air. John Findlay, founder of Carbon Zero Consulting and a council member of the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA), recognises that the higher initial outlay over more traditional solutions, such as a gas-fired boiler, is a factor that investors must assess, but says this is outweighed by the many advantages of a GSHP in the longer term, including: lLower heating costs compared to oil and direct electric heating, and comparable cost to mains gas lA GSHP can also provide cooling, with no additional hardware and larger schemes are designed to store heat and/or cool in the ground to hugely increase seasonal efficiency lReceipt of renewable heat incentive (RHI) payment. This remains open for new ap- plications until April 2021. lGreatly reduced carbon emissions from heating and cooling, see this shown real-time at https://www.gshp.org.uk/ Gridwatch.html He said: "The uptake of GSHPs has increased significantly in the last few years as biomass is no longer seen as a viable option for widespread installation. Similarly, GSHPs are powered by electric- ity with ever-reducing carbon-intensity. "Carbon emissions from a GSHP are now similar to a gas CHP system, and so are becoming much more readily speci- fied for larger buildings, especially where Pumps & valves: Case Study An artesian open-loop GSHP borehole.