Geothermal
Geothermal Overview
Geothermal Overview. In building and construction, geothermal energy is considered to be one of the more efficient forms of heat transfer for heating and cooling applications. In simplest of terms, geothermal energy is energy recovered from heat stored in the earth.
Doody excavated a trench for the supply and return lines into the lake to ensure lines were below the freezing line.
At Great River Energy's new corporate headquarters in Maple Grove, Minn., a core lake water geothermal exchange system was put into place by Doody Mechanical. Utilizing water to water and water to air heat pumps within the building, this system is benefiting from the free heating and cooling capacity of the earth to keep desired space temperatures within the building for the requirement of each season.
From a sustainability perspective, the installation of a geothermal system reduces the amount of energy required to heat and cool a building. This reduction reduces the demand from the power company and the demand to burn fossil fuels for production.
Each pod contained 14 coils. Each coil represents 1 ton of cooling. The coil pods sit on top of a PVC frame and concrete blocks are located on the bottom to ensure stability on the lake bed floor.
Although, initial first costs are higher with a geothermal system than an air-source system, the payback is returned to the building owner in energy savings throughout the life-cycle or TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of the building.
