The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has updated its REopt web tool to help commercial building owners and energy managers evaluate the costs of hybrid geothermal heat pump, or GHP, projects more effectively. The tool can look at how to integrate hybrid heat exchange into GHP projects through auxiliary heat exchange units to cut capital costs and boost the economic feasibility of retrofit projects. NREL conducted a case study comparing nonhybrid GHP systems to a hybrid GHX system in a large office building, spanning 498,588 square feet, in Las Vegas. The analysis considered electricity costs of $0.10 kWh, $10 per kilowatt monthly demand charges and natural gas costs of £10 per one million British thermal units. The findings revealed significant cost savings and improved performance when using the hybrid GH X system. The geothermal Heat exchange and hybrid GHx capabilities added to REopt were funded by the DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office and developed in partnership with Thermal Energy Systems Specialists, NREL said.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
