Geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems, which harness moderate and constant temperatures just below the Earth's surface, are being deployed in nearly every region of the world and in residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial environments with great success. Despite recent setbacks in deployments in many parts of the world due to the economic downturn, the future looks bright for the worldwide GHP market. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, the worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will grow by nearly 150% over the next seven years, from 52.7 gigawatts-thermal (GWt) to 127.4GWt.
"The renewable energy policies that led to strong growth in the GHP market in the last decade are still in place, and will drive expansion as the global economy improves," said Mackinnon Lawrence, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. "Although their overall penetration remains low, GHP installations are gaining traction in both the construction industry and the regulatory environment, and this high-efficiency technology will likely play a larger role in both new build and retrofit projects going forward."
In some ways, the fortunes of the GHP market are tied to that of the housing market: As the number of housing starts increases, so do the opportunities for installers and engineers of GHP systems to deploy their technology. Yet, a number of factors affect a homeowner's or residential developer's decision to deploy GHPs in a project, including quality of construction, construction budget, ease of getting a loan, and importance of green image. Thus, while the rate of housing starts has grown steadily over the last two years, the rate of GHP deployments has not kept pace.
Article translated by Alex Wolfgram
