Article 7: Tapping The Earth For Energy

- Around 50,000 geothermal energy units are installed per year "according to the Department of Energy."
- A geothermal system will end up costing around 50% more that a fossil fuel based heating and cooling system.
- The main reason geothermal systems are so expensive is because of the drilling to put the pipes in. This process can cost "tens of thousands of dollars alone."
- These pumps could possibley end up costing "$17,000 to $30,000."
- This system is rather tricky not only to put in, but to make sure you even should be using geothermal is a whole other issue. Certain places will not get the full benefit of this system because of the climate.
- In some cases geothermal in cheaper. Those cases are often not homeowners who get the deal, but larger buildings that could benefit from the system more.
- In 2006, "Harvard University installed six ground-source heat pumps as part of its Green Campus initiative"
- Geothermal systems work by pumps and pipes that are put into the earth to take from the all year temperature in the ground. In cold months the pipes draw warm air up from the ground and into the building, while in hotter summer months the pipes carry some of the hotter air out of the house and bring the cooler air from the earth into the house.
- Pumps inside the house push and pull "water or a working fluid, such as antifreeze" into the earth so that when the liquid comes back out it brings with it the temperature.