Direct geothermal energy: harnessing an emerging technology

为了减轻气候变化的影响，对低温室气体（GHG）排放的可再生能源技术的需求正在迅速成为全球优先事项。直接地热系统使用浅层地面作为热源和散热器，使用地热交换器（GHEs）和热泵来加热和冷却建筑物。用地热系统取代普通的供暖和制冷系统可以减少高达75%的能源消耗，从而减少温室气体排放，因为澳大利亚91%的电力来自化石燃料。该项目旨在开发新的全尺寸物理和数值模型，这将允许研究GHE配置和间歇使用对效率的影响，并将导致改善现有的设计技术。

To mitigate the impacts of climate change, the demand for renewable energy technologies with low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is rapidly becoming a global priority. Direct geothermal systems use shallow ground as a heat source and sink for heating and cooling buildings, using ground heat exchangers (GHEs) and heat pumps. Substituting common heating and cooling systems with geothermal ones can reduce energy consumption by up to 75 per cent and thus greenhouse gas emissions, since 91 per cent of electricity comes from fossil fuels in Australia. This project aims to develop new full scale physical and numerical models which will allow studying the effects of GHE configuration and intermittent use on efficiency and which will lead towards improving the poor and scarce existing design techniques.