Criteria for use of groundwater as renewable energy source in geothermal heat pump systems for building heating/cooling purposes

Environmental protection measures are conducted directly by the use of renewable energy sources. The energy development of cities in Europe is aimed at the sustainable use of renewable energy sources in order to achieve the substitution of fossil fuels and the reduction of the hazardous gas emission into the atmosphere. Geothermal resources of medium and low enthalpy in Europe being used for obtaining heat energy are providing about 6600 MW(t), currently having the growth trend of 50 MW, annually. The use of geothermal low enthalpy, namely of subgeothermal groundwater resources, has even higher annual growth rate, and if such a trend is kept till the year 2010, the produced energy will amount about 8000 MW,. Criteria of the groundwater use as a hydrogeothermal energy resource in heat pumps are complex, and they deal with aspects of incoming temperatures and groundwater quantities. The precise limit temperature of groundwater that would separate the direct use of geothermal energy (only by the use of heat exchangers), and indirectly by the use of a heat pump has not been determined in the professional and scientific practice of Serbia so far. Taking into account that relatively small number of new flat is being built in Serbia nowadays, if we waist to save energy it is necessary to carry out the energy reconstruction of the existing flats whose number is estimated to be more than 2.8 million. By the application of subgeothermal energy and the use of heat pumps, energy consumption would be significantly reduced. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.