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• 1. [Image] Heat Pump Economics

  	In performing a life cycle cost analysis for direct use geothermal applications it has been said many times that keeping capital investment to a minimum improves the economics of the project. It has also ...
  	Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Heat Pump Economics Author: Higbee, C.V. Year: 1983 In performing a life cycle cost analysis for direct use geothermal applications it has been said many times that keeping capital investment to a minimum improves the economics of the project. It has also been said repeatedly that extracting a maximum delta t improves the economics. With very low temperature (less than 100°F) geothermal fluids, it becomes necessary to install a heat pump for most space heating applications. Needless to say, the purchase of a heat pump drives capital costs up, annual operating costs up, and usually results in a very low delta t extraction from the resource. All these characteristics of heat pump applications tend to make such projects uneconomical. There are always exceptions. One of these exceptions occurs when electrical energy is the only energy alternative and the resource is warm enough to obtain a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.0 or better Title: Heat Pump Economics Author: Higbee, C.V. Year: 1983 In performing a life cycle cost analysis for direct use geothermal applications it has been said many times that keeping capital investment to a minimum improves the economics of the project. It has also been said repeatedly that extracting a maximum delta t improves the economics. With very low temperature (less than 100°F) geothermal fluids, it becomes necessary to install a heat pump for most space heating applications. Needless to say, the purchase of a heat pump drives capital costs up, annual operating costs up, and usually results in a very low delta t extraction from the resource. All these characteristics of heat pump applications tend to make such projects uneconomical. There are always exceptions. One of these exceptions occurs when electrical energy is the only energy alternative and the resource is warm enough to obtain a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.0 or better Close