Geothermal energy comes from the Earth's hot interior which stayed hot since its formation, in addition it's also being heated because of nuclear reactions in its core.
Nowadays the utilization of renewable energy sources is gaining importance, since the use of fossil fuels is becoming more and more unreliable in the light of the global energy crisis. With the use of renewable energy soucres we lessen the impact on our environment and we don't increase greenhouse gas emissions, whereas utilisation of energy via fossil fuels does exactly that.
Shallow geothermal energy is one of those renewable energy sources – Slovenia has a lot of potential for its use. With the help of geothermal holes and geothermal systems we can utilize energy, stored up to 300 metres deep into the Earth's interior. With the use of closed-loop geothermal systems or geothermal probes we utilize the heat that is stored underneath the Earth's crust.
A system of this kind functions with a geothermal heat pump for either heating or cooling of a structure.
The starting paragraphs of this thesis introduce basics of geothermal energy, shallow geothermal energy and their utilization, followed by in-depth research on geothermal heat pumps and geothermal probes. The paragraph, focusing on geothermal heat pumps, introduces the Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) and the Coeffcient of Performance (CoP) of a geothermal heat pump, as well as their equations for calculation purposes.
The geothermal probe utilizes the heat of the rock underneath the Earth with the help of a medium which travels into the heat pump itself and is ultimately used for heating or cooling of a structure. We know several models of geothermal probes – with a single or double »U-tube« or a coaxial geothermal probe.
The theoretical knowledge is then applied to a case study of a family house in Škofja Loka, where a geothermal probe is being dimensioned for the purpose of placement of a geothermal system with a geothermal heat pump.
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