U.S. energy costs could be lowered by ground-source heat pumps, a new study has reported.
The research by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) found that geothermal energy would also drastically reduce carbon emissions if it was implemented all across the U.S, according to a press release.
Geothermal energy is heat contained within the earth within a core of magma. It can be accessed by drilling wells and used to generate heat and electricity.
To test how effective this energy source could be, scientists simulated a geothermal energy model from 2022 to 2050.
If such wells and pumps were adopted widely, across the whole of the U.S., the researchers found that it would significantly reduce stress on the power grid.
It would also help the environment, as it would lessen the need for energy sources that pump carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
"Ground-source heat pumps (GHPs) have traditionally been seen as a building energy efficiency technology," Xiaobing Liu, primary researcher on the study at ORNL, said in a summary of the findings. "This analysis found that GHPs have a tremendous impact on electric power systems by reducing the requirements in capacity, generation, and transmission, as well as carbon emissions."
If geothermal energy was widely implemented, Liu estimates that over 7,000 million metric tons of carbon emissions could be reduced by 2050. Around 3,000 million metric tons of this would be saved from the electric sector, while the remaining would be the replacement of natural gas, the study reported.
"It is well understood that GHPs are beneficial for lowering building energy costs because of their high efficiency and ability to supply heat without fuel purchases, resulting in zero on-site emissions," Liu said. "Until now, though, few studies have investigated the impacts of large-scale deployment of GHPs on the electrical grid."
The use of geothermal energy will also help reduce strain on the electrical grid. There have been some catastrophic incidents involving power failure and extreme weather in recent years, such as the Texas power grid failure in February 2021.
The power outrage was caused by a severe winter storm, named Uri, which swept through the state, with record low temperatures and heavy snowfall.
Geothermal energy would help provide stability to the power grid, and prevent similar incidents.
"We showed that a mass deployment of GHPs coupled with building envelope improvements can reduce the generation and capacity needs of the U.S. electric power system by up to 11% and 13%, respectively, in 2050," Liu said. "The peak electric demand in some hot climate zones can also be reduced up to 28%, which will ease grid operations."
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