What are ground source heat pumps?
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are central heating and/or cooling systems that pump heat to or from the ground. GSHPs provide an efficient way to extract stored solar/ground source heat and increase the useful temperature to serve the building heating system. In the summer months heat can be extracted from the building and deposited in the ground thereby cooling the building. This is a common application in China, Japan, the USA and parts of Europe. For more information on global GSHP trends, see the Renewables Global Status Report.
How ground source heat pumps work
Soil temperature can vary considerably depending on the location. In the UK, for example, soil temperature below a depth of 5 m stays constant throughout the year at around 11–12°C. The soil at this depth is effectively a huge thermal store that stores heat absorbed from the sun in the summer and releases it during the winter. GSHPs take this low-temperature energy and concentrate it into more useful, higher-temperature energy to heat water or air inside a building. Figure
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Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
Key definition:
Heat Exchanger definition
What does Heat Exchanger mean?
Any device that transfers heat from one system to another without physical transfer of any matter. In a nuclear reactor, the heat exchanger transfers heat from the reactor cooling system to water that passes through the turbo generators to produce electricity.
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