Some geothermal facts:
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Installing a geothermal system in a typical home is equal, in greenhouse gas reduction, to planting an acre of trees, or taking two cars off the road
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Current geothermal installations save more than 14 million barrels of crude oil per year
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The ground absorbs 47% of the sun's energy that reaches the earth. This amount of energy represents 500 times more than mankind needs every year.
The accelerating levels of CO2 and methane in
our atmosphere are a direct result of our addiction to burning hydrocarbons
to meet our energy needs. The heating and cooling choices we make for
the buildings we live and work in will have consequences for decades
to come. Carbon dioxide is a pollutant.
• A 100-watt light bulb will produce 77 lbs of CO2
annually.
• An SUV will produce 14,875 lbs of CO2 a year.
• A typical 1800 sq. ft. home heated with oil will produce 29,910 lbs of CO2
every year.
• A 30,000 sq. ft. office building heated with natural gas and cooled in
compliance with ASHRAE 90.1 will produce 341,553 lbs of CO2 every year for
the life of the building.
Geothermal and other technologies make it possible today to heat, cool and
produce domestic hot water without producing greenhouse gases. Solutions
are readily available and through the applications of experienced geothermal
design practices, they can be competitive with conventional technology.
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Let's look at the impact of geothermal heat pumps on the earth's ecosystem:
Comparing the net amount of heat extracted by a geothermal heat pump to the amount of solar heat striking the earth in a year:
A one-acre lot receives approximately 41 billion btu’s of solar irradiation
a year. (on average, 342 watts/sq
meter)
The typical 5-ton heat
pump will extract about 0.045 billion btu’s a year, net.
Net heat extracted by a heat pump is
about 1/9 of 1% of the solar irradiation at that property.
So, in conclusion, geothermal heat pumps will not deplete the amount of
energy available, even if every building and house in the world were to
convert to geothermal! There is a plentiful amount of energy available
and it is constantly renewing.