Key Application for Microgrids: Oil & Gas Pipeline Protection from Corrosion At first glance, it may seem as though the petro-chemical industry and the renewable energy industry are mutually exclusive. However, this is not the case. In fact, there are several areas where the former can benefit the latter. Of great significance,… Continue reading “Key Application for Microgrids: Oil & Gas Pipeline Protection from Corrosion”
Life Cycle of a Vertical Drilling Fluid In this article, Brock Yordy, columnist for National Driller, outlines the life cycle of drilling fluids from creation to disposal. Brock teaches Drilling Fluids Management, a 6-week master class for industrial drilling companies. Drilling fluids management is a term interpreted differently… Continue reading “Life Cycle of a Vertical Drilling Fluid”
John Siegenthaler Reviews Heat Pumps In the article below, John Siegenthaler, Principal of Appropriate Designs, explains how air-to-water heat pumps offer new opportunities for hydronic pros. At the end of the article, John runs the numbers to answer the question: “How does the performance of… Continue reading “John Siegenthaler Reviews Heat Pumps”
Two Things I Learned at the 2012 IGSHPA Conference On Tuesday October 2nd we hosted an evening program titled, “How to Make Money in Renewable Energy” for 45 brave souls who traveled to Indianapolis for the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) Conference. These were the panelists: Allan… Continue reading “Two Things I Learned at the 2012 IGSHPA Conference”
[Interview] Learnings from Ball State and the Largest Geothermal Project and What It means for Selling District Heating Geothermal A few months ago, I heard about the largest geothermal heat pump installation was breaking ground at Ball State University. Clearly, this is amazing project that could change the whole industry. Also, I always noticed PR for huge solar PV… Continue reading “[Interview] Learnings from Ball State and the Largest Geothermal Project and What It means for Selling District Heating Geothermal”
Finance 101 For Geothermal Pros (Image using LoopLink Geothermal Design Software) The only thing that the geothermal industry needs to worry about is sales. We need more sales. For the most part, we have talented enough engineers and tradespeople to install any project that we… Continue reading “Finance 101 For Geothermal Pros”
Geothermal Performance Case Study: Closed Loop vs. DX vs. Kelix Thermocouple (This post has received a lot of feedback as expected, I’ve posted some update information at the bottom of the post from Sam Johnson’s team and from Kelix themselves) Last month, I published an interview about the Kelix ground coupling… Continue reading “Geothermal Performance Case Study: Closed Loop vs. DX vs. Kelix Thermocouple”
Lessons Learned from Selling Community Scale Geothermal in New England I’ve heard a lot of pitches to about community geothermal, using a single loop field for many different households. The main benefit is simple, a reduction in drilling costs due to economies of scale. The roadblack, as always, is actually… Continue reading “Lessons Learned from Selling Community Scale Geothermal in New England”
Certified GeoExchange Desiger Certification – The CGD – What is it? Who needs it? How to get it? Certified GeoExchange Designer Certification is the most prestigious credential that exists within the geothermal heat pump industry because few people have it. It’s hard to get because you can’t sit for the exam without some combination of education and experience… Continue reading “Certified GeoExchange Desiger Certification – The CGD – What is it? Who needs it? How to get it?”
HS TV Ep 8: 1/2 the Drilling Depth, 1/3 the Footprint, SCW vs. Closed Loop Geothermal Systems Standing column well geothermal projects have significant advantages over closed geothermal projects in certain circumstances. Standing column wells typically need half the amount of drilling then traditional closed systems, because they can transfer heat so much faster. Also, they be… Continue reading “HS TV Ep 8: 1/2 the Drilling Depth, 1/3 the Footprint, SCW vs. Closed Loop Geothermal Systems”
What You Need to know About Quoting and Selling Standing Column Well Systems It’s much easier to answer this question for residential applications. The price is composed of three pieces: the drilling cost, the loop field installation including underground piping to/from the building, and the HVAC system installation. Many times the driller is… Continue reading “What You Need to know About Quoting and Selling Standing Column Well Systems”
13 Steps to Basic Geothermal Standing Column Well Design HeatSpring Instructor Albert Koenig discusses the 13 steps to basic Geothermal Standing Column Well (SCW) Design… Unlike closed loop geothermal installations, open loop systems, in particular, standing column well (SCW), require more diligence from the designer than just the well… Continue reading “13 Steps to Basic Geothermal Standing Column Well Design”
IGSHPA Installer Accreditation Versus Vertical Loop Installer (Driller) Accreditation In the past, we’ve written a few articles about what exactly the IGSHPA accreditation is, if it’s worthwhile, and when contractors should get it. The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) now has a separate program for drillers, called “Vertical… Continue reading “IGSHPA Installer Accreditation Versus Vertical Loop Installer (Driller) Accreditation”
What’s Special About IGSHPA Geothermal Installer Certification? Do you Really Need it? It’s a good and valid question. If you’re curious what certification is, you can see here: What is the IGSHPA Certification? But more importantly, what is the value of IGSHPA certification in the marketplace – who is it valuable for… Continue reading “What’s Special About IGSHPA Geothermal Installer Certification? Do you Really Need it?”
The Economic & Environmental Case for Standing Column Wells HeatSpring instructor, Dr. Al Koenig, discusses the promise of standing column well geothermal systems in this three minute video. This short video was taken from Dr. Koenig’s ‘Standing Column Wells for Geothermal Professionals‘ course. As the video starts, Al is… Continue reading “The Economic & Environmental Case for Standing Column Wells”
How to Measure Demand for Geothermal Heating and Cooling in Your Area Your organization might want to break into the renewable energy fields — you may be considering geothermal and solar installation or energy auditing, but you might not know if you should take the plunge. You must determine: is there demand? The truth is, most times it… Continue reading “How to Measure Demand for Geothermal Heating and Cooling in Your Area”
Standing Column Wells – How To Save 30% vs. Closed Loop Geothermal How much does a geothermal system cost? After talking to thousands of residential and commercial clients, I’ve realized that’s the question on everybody’s mind. The Standing Column Well was developed to make geothermal more affordable, and more possible in urban… Continue reading “Standing Column Wells – How To Save 30% vs. Closed Loop Geothermal”