immac

From Today's Turkish Daily News

Geothermal 'heat pumps' a natural alternative to gas
Thursday, February 15, 2007


A system common throughout much of Europe and beyond is now slowly beginning to catch on in Turkey. The energy it uses comes from below the Earth's surface and is clean, renewable and inexpensive.

METİN CAN
ISTANBUL - Referans


While the search for a cure to Turkey's ever-growing energy costs goes on, a method applied in Istanbul's Riva Mansions is a strong candidate for an alternative to Turkey's main means of space heating, natural gas.

The “heat pump” system utilizes subterranean thermal energy and has allowed 132 villas in Riva to be centrally heated free of charge. The installation of geothermal heating, which also has the potential to be used to generate electricity for the operation of air conditioners, costs only YTL 10,000.

The technique is already widespread worldwide, both for domestic and commercial usage. Indeed some countries with suitable geological conditions, such as New Zealand, even use geothermal energy to run power plants, not only heat homes. The Swedish Government has made the geothermal heating obligatory in newly-built residences in order to limit the country's dependence on natural gas.



The future for heating in Turkey?:

German firm Viessmann, one of the major players in geothermal heating in Turkey, has been trying to spread the use of the environmentally friendly technology for the past two years and is the firm behind the system being used in the Riva Mansions. Officials at Viessmann say that 90 percent of the houses in Turkey could be heated using this method, significantly decreasing the current reliance on imported energy sources.

Austrian firm Heliotherm is also working to make the use of geothermal heat pumps widespread in Turkey. The head of sales at Thermotech, Heliotherm's representative in Turkey, Mehmet Eraslan said that the method, used widely in Europe, had so far been slow to catch on in Turkey.

However, Eraslan added that although the state supported alternative energy use in Turkey, a clearly defined regulatory framework regarding geothermal heating was needed. He added that there is currently a great deal of demand for the method and that work on major projects in İzmit and Beylikdüzü had already begun. He noted that a single heat pump was capable of providing heating to a one-storey enclosed area of 5,000 square meters.

“For this reason, many industrial facilities apply to us to decrease their expenses. The cost for a 300 square meter residence varies from between 10,000 to 17,000 euros.”



Government support essential:

Yaşar Ülkümen, project coordinator for the Riva Mansions, said that the system cost YTL 10,000 per villa. “This system provides heating and energy for a minimal running cost throughout its life cycle. Everything is tracked over the Internet,” he added.

Ülkümen stated that they investigated relevant legislation before going forward with the project but could find neither a legal provision regarding the subject nor any explicit prohibition. He added that he first got the idea for the system when he saw its application abroad. They selected Viessmann because they were the “most experienced firm in this field.” He seemed happy with his choice, saying, “They did an excellent job; the system works smoothly.”

Renewable Energy Resources Association Secretary-General Metin Atamer said that the project had no security problems but that the only shortcoming of the new technologies was that they lacked governmental backing, a deficiency he hoped the government would soon rectify.


How does the system work?

“Heat conductors” are placed one meter under the surface of the earth, these take in heated fluids pumped up though a “heat pipe” by a “heat pump” some 100 meters lower down. At this depth the ground and fluids within it are warmer than at the surface level due to geothermal heat generated within the Earth. The heat conductor transfers the heat to the house's heating system. It is also possible to use gas or electricity to supplement a further rise to the temperature if necessary. Additional heat pipes may be installed in larger buildings, with the heat used to generate electricity to power air conditioners to cool the houses in the summertime.

KayaKoyuOldBoy

Yaşar Ülkümen, project coordinator for the Riva Mansions, said that the system cost YTL 10,000 per villa.

I'm not surprised that it's slow to catch on in Turkey at 10,000 YTL per villa !

Not many Turks could afford that level of investment in their properties.

immac

Although it sounds high, it really depends on the size of the house/system and the comparable cost of heating and air-cooling systems.
In USA, these systems are typically 30% more than a standard system installation and would recoup the extra investment over 10 years. If the pump is run by solar electric, the savings are higher. The main savings would be seen in low monthly energy costs. Also, a ground loop rather than deep bore hole can lower installation cost.

Ian

JohnF

Interesting. An architect we used (not the "past" tense) in Istanbul suggested this particular method of heating for a property we were refurbishing. This was last summer and the basic installation was quoted at 21,000YTL. This was just for the pump and heat exchanger, no radiators or other internals. I think it was round about this point that we realised we'd hired the wrong geezer...

JF

Raysalaff

I saw one of the make over programs install this type of heating, it seems to be one heck of a project to install ok for new builds though.

jcrian

“Heat conductors” are placed one meter under the surface of the earth, these take in heated fluids pumped up though a “heat pipe” by a “heat pump” some 100 meters lower down

100 metres down is a heck of a hole and I hope nothing goes wrong with the pump if it's at the bottom.One or two places round here are having a similar installation including the local church.From what I've heard they clear the site(you need a big garden) and lay the pipe about 2 mts down.Makes sense as even at this depth the temperature has got to be a lot warmer than on the surface.I wonder how cost effective it is taking into account all the installatiion costs compared with a modern boiler which these days are very efficient.

immac

I'm no expert, but my understanding is that 100 feet is all that is required for the bore-hole type. The alternative is a ground loop which is run in a shallow trench, not deep into the ground. Another option, is to run it through water - perhaps a lake. It is not the heat of the ground, but the difference in the temperature between the house and the ground that is important for the heat exchanger to work.
In summer, the coolant (water or anti-freeze solution) dumps the heat into the ground, in winter it collects the heat from the ground.
Ian