This is not a miracle solution, but it could make a big contribution
The history of renewable energy is strewn with miraculous technologies that seemed to promise limitless, cheap, low-carbon power, but which turned out to be limited, expensive and to have unforeseen drawbacks.
We have been through nuclear power, which is expensive with long-term safety problems; windmills, which are more expensive and intrude on the land or sea-scape; and solar power, which is more expensive still. We have been promised tidal power, but the Severn Barrage needed huge capital spending and would have had a dramatic effect on local habitats. Wave power has not worked at reasonable cost.
Other technologies might work in theory but have yet to be demonstrated in practice. Cold fusion is a kind of nuclear power that has not yet been invented. Carbon capture and storage, to decarbonise the burning of coal, oil and gas, has not yet been proven on a commercial scale. Geothermal energy, drawing heat from deep underground, turns out to be a daunting engineering challenge in places other than Iceland, where hot water rises to the surface naturally.
So some scepticism is required about the heat pump system about which, as we report today, Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, is so excited. It seems too good to be true that this technology can take the latent heat from Thames river water and concentrate it to produce domestic hot water at 45C for 140 homes. But this time, the “futurephoria”, even if it should be prudently restrained, does seem justified.
This is not a miracle solution to the problem of climate change, but it is an important breakthrough that could make a big contribution to lower carbon dioxide emissions. The technology requires a small amount of electricity for the pumps, but even if that electricity comes from fossil-fuel sources the overall carbon output of the system is significantly lower than gas water heating, for taps and central heating, and the cost is 20 per cent lower.
This technology may lack space-age glamour. As with better insulation and combined heat and power schemes, it is small scale, local and decentralised. It is not exactly low-tech: the physics involved is sophisticated. But it is simple and contains few moving parts. Best of all, in the jargon of the day, it is scaleable: it could be extended to millions of homes across the country – anywhere near rivers, lakes or reservoirs. Presumably there is a limit to the amount of latent energy that can be extracted from such sources. It is unlikely, for example, that it could be used to generate electricity, but it could substitute for a large proportion of gas water heating nationally.
The Latest on: Heat pump system
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Heat pump system” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Heat pump system
- Heat pumps a hot topic at LWV energy conservation forumon April 26, 2024 at 11:18 pm
What is the most efficient method for heating and cooling a home? The League of Women Voters (LWV) brought this question to the final forum in their conservation series, Thursday. Mike Daniels, senior ...
- Solar-assisted thermochemical heat pump based on caustic soda, wateron April 26, 2024 at 1:01 am
Researchers in China have designed a two-stage, solar-assisted thermochemical heat pump system that uses caustic soda and water as a working pair. The system is reportedly able to achieve an energy ...
- Are Heat Pumps the Future of Residential and Commercial Heating?on April 25, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Heat pumps are gaining popularity as an eco-friendly alternative to gas boilers, with governments and companies investing in the technology to support decarbonization efforts.
- Heat pumps and underground holes: Dartmouth announces $500 million investment in decarbonizationon April 25, 2024 at 6:46 am
After calling off a plan to build a biomass plant to replace its oil-burning system in 2020, the college has new ideas for how to move away from fossil fuels.
- Norwegian startup unveils CO2 water-to-water heat pumpon April 24, 2024 at 11:57 pm
Tequs said its new plug-and-play heat pump can deliver up to 90 C of heat for space heating, air conditioning, and domestic hot water. The new product is available in eight versions with capacity ...
- Johnson Controls releases new residential heat pump serieson April 23, 2024 at 6:00 am
The new heat pumps use R-454B as a refrigerant and are specifically designed to be matched with Johnson Controls’ residential gas furnaces. Their size ranges from 1.5 tons to 5 tons and their ...
- Is Geothermal Power Heating Up as an Energy Source?on April 22, 2024 at 10:26 am
Long confined to regions with volcanic activity, the method of harnessing energy from the Earth promises to become much more versatile thanks to new technologies ...
- Change is Coming: What to Know When Purchasing a New Replacement Heat Pump Systemon April 22, 2024 at 3:26 am
You will need to use a pump of suitable power if natural circulation does not cope with the heat distribution in the system. A properly selected pump can lead to uniform heating of all devices. In ...
- Which Size Heat Pump Is Right for Your Home?on April 21, 2024 at 11:00 am
If your heat pump is too small for your home, it likely won't work properly. You could end up paying a higher utility bill because the heat pump will struggle to heat and cool your home. Because the ...
- Green upgrade: the heat pump grant available nowon April 18, 2024 at 1:52 am
No, not a sauna – it’s an energy-saving heat pump. All of us want to save the planet and spend less money on our bills. And the biggest challenge is lowering our consumption of fossil fuels. Around ...
via Bing News