More and more retail chains are embracing renewable energy in a bid to cut costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Examples include Wal-Mart installing close to 5300 solar panels at its Apple Valley distribution center in California and Green Depot making their stores LEED-certified. Now IKEA has joined the renewable retail ranks by announcing that a store near Centennial in Denver will be powered by geothermal energy. Thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Denver IKEA store will be the first IKEA store in the United States to be built with geothermal heating and cooling, saving both energy and money.
Photo by Pat Corkery
Douglas Wolfe, IKEA project construction manager for the store, said that he expected the site to be open in the fall of 2011. The project will see 130 holes dug 500 feet deep into the ground, where the temperature is 55 degrees all year round. The holes will be situated under the store’s parking garage, which will be below the store. When operational, the geothermal pumps will use 25 percent to 50 percent less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems and could potentially save thousands of dollars each year.
Although geothermal power has not seen the publicity that wind and solar energy receives, the tech has seen something of a resurgence in recent months with the Environmental Protection Agency stating that geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption (and corresponding emissions) by up to 72 percent compared to traditional electric resistance heating and standard air-conditioning equipment.
It\’s great to see companies embracing ground-source heating and cooling, but people need to be more careful about distinguishing between this concept and geothermal power. True geothermal relies on injection of water deep into the ground to generate steam that\’s subsquently used to run an electricity generating turbine. This is widely used in Iceland and the Phillipines. This article uses the term geothermal power, which is misleading.
A geoexchange well field is a very different animal than a geothermal power. Geothermal power suggests that the earth’s heat is used to generate electricity (frequently via boiling water to turn turbines). The fact that IKEA is utilizing a geoexchange system is great, but it is not the same thing.
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GO GREEN! (your planet will thank you later)
you pick up your trash after an afternoon in the park,you wait till dusk to mow your yard in the summer, you bring your own bags to the grocery,you recycle for goodness sake!! so, why are you still heating and cooling your home with the precious little amounts of the earths fossil fuels??? Geothermal technology allows the temperature of the earth to heat and cool your home. With this technology you not only receive hot water(yes..completely free..!!) but, also, your heating and cooling costs will lower dramatically most times, up to 60%!!!!
call me, Jill or my husband Bobby, anytime, day or night with questions 317.345.7049…if we don’t answer right away, we’ll get right back with ya! making the earth a better place to live, is our hobby and chosen career!
http://www.midwestgeothermalexperts.com
thanks and have a great day!!
peace,
Jill Miller
[...] systems in order to reduce its overall energy needs. Cooling and heating is provided by a ground source heat pump that draws from 75 meter deep wells. The exterior sun screen allows for clean lines of sight from [...]