As the need for clean and sustainable energy sources increases, geothermal power is becoming a viable option for incorporating environmentally friendly architectural designs. Many buildings are also moving toward a heat source switch.

Significance of geothermal energy in eco-architecture

There are many benefits to geothermal energy in buildings, including the following:

  • Long-term cost-effectiveness: clean energy sources, such as geothermal energy, are cost-effective. Despite potential hefty installation fees due to its elaborate processes, it has relatively low maintenance costs and could save money in the long run. It can continuously produce at least 90% of its power, allowing for a quicker return on investment because it rarely experiences downtime.

  • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: geothermal energy construction typically emits only steam, which minimizes greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, some plants produce sludges that contain valuable minerals, such as zinc and silica. They may also create lithium, which is used by phone brands like Samsung and Apple in their batteries. This could be a plus for buildings as a source of income.

  • Low water levels demand: geothermal energy also uses less water. It uses only 1.1% of the power sector’s water withdrawals and can produce enough electricity to support 8.5% of the U.S.’s needs by 2050. The low demand for water is a key factor in comprehensive sustainable architecture, encompassing water conservation strategies.

  • Dependability: ground-source energy is also not dependent on weather conditions. It is available 24/7 throughout the year, ensuring consistency. It also works well with other renewable power sources, such as wind and solar, to provide a building with an adequate, sustainable, and uninterrupted supply.

Challenges of integrating geothermal energy

Despite its benefits, challenges persist in ensuring a broad implementation of geothermal energy construction.

Cost concerns

Geothermal energy in buildings requires a high installation budget. This is because it involves an upfront expenditure of source identification, predrilling, and development drilling. The budget also depends on other factors, such as the size of the structure and system, among others. The installation costs range from approximately $10,000 to $30,000 for a house and increase further for more extensive facilities. Recognizing that geothermal energy can help reduce long-term power costs is essential. Even if the initial installation is expensive, it has dropped significantly in the past 15 years. Many of these structures provide a cost recoup in as little as four years and about two to 10 years for retrofitted systems.

Limited resource availability

Although energy may always be available, professionals must ensure a site can effectively harness it. The availability varies in terms of location, depth, and geological makeup. The power source is higher, and there is greater heat flow from the Earth’s core, usually at tectonic plates.

Awareness

Despite its efficacy, the public remains unaware of geothermal power’s potential, cost-effectiveness, and energy efficiency.

Strategies to incorporate geothermal energy

Designers are responsible for ensuring comprehensive and seamless installation projects. Here are some ways to empower the integration of this energy source.

  • Ensure an ample supply: professionals must ensure the construction site has access to a potential heat source for energy. Beyond availability, the criteria also must include strength and consistency. Several factors must be considered, including temperature, soil permeability, and the surrounding land’s resilience to withstand drilling processes. Surveys, feasibility studies, and risk assessment meetings with stakeholders should be conducted.

  • Decide on the purpose: geothermal power can be used for many purposes in a building. These include localized heating and cooling, greenhouses, or even district heating. Some also use it for energy generation, infrastructure, and heat pumps. The need to utilize this power is usually a two-way street—designers can gauge the supply and decide the demand, and vice versa.

  • Monitor and evolve: following the design and implementation, professionals must assess the system’s practicality. They must consistently evaluate performance, assess capacities, and use errors as a path to improvement. This is typically accomplished through quantitative methods, such as surveys and studies on flow rate, efficiency, cost, and environmental impacts, as well as through qualitative methods, including resident interviews and stakeholder feedback.

  • Take success stories as examples: many buildings and cities have made tremendous progress in implementing geothermal power in their projects, proving this clean energy source is a viable option for environmental architecture. Professionals can study these case studies and integrate relevant approaches to their projects.

Success stories of eco-architecture around the world

Bullitt Center, U.S.

This building receives its heating through tubes with water running through the concrete overlay of the floors. The heat wells are located 400 feet underground. The water and glycol mixture in the tubes utilizes the ground’s warmth by converting 53°F liquid to 90°F. Heat is removed from the ground during the cold season and is sent back to the ground in warmer months.

Sara Cultural Centre, Sweden

This center utilizes sustainable architecture by harnessing various green energy sources. It runs on hydroelectric power, but geothermal pumps and solar panels are also used during peak loads. This ensures a consistent and stable supply, without relying on fossil fuels, and reduces the building’s carbon footprint.

St. Vincent Health Sciences Center, U.S.

The structure, owned by St. John’s University, operates a heating and cooling system via heat source pumps. It has 66 wells, almost 500 feet underground, that provide temperature control for geothermal fields.

Geothermal power is the future of sustainable architecture

Ground-source energy has the potential to accelerate further and empower the field of environmental architecture. To this end, stakeholders must unite to ensure awareness, acceptance, and utilization for a greener tomorrow.