Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

Since heating and cooling systems of buildings consume 30–50% of the global energy consumption, increased efficiency of such systems means a considerable reduction in energy consumption. Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) are likely to play a central role in achieving this goal due to their high energy efficient performance. The efficiency of GSHP depends on [...]

Underground mines are extremely capital intensive, but despite this investment the traditional view has been that they have little useful value after closure. There are, however, potential positive uses of closed mines, in particular the generation of renewable geothermal energy. After closure, many mines flood and the relatively stable temperature of this water can be [...]

A detailed analysis of the heating and cooling performance of environmental heat sources and sinks is presented for 12 low-energy buildings in Germany. In particular, the analysis focuses on the given temperature levels and the efficiency performance of the environmental heat sources and sinks in summer and winter. The investigated buildings employ environmental heat sources [...]

Shallow geothermal energy (<400 m depth) is used in many countries worldwide, with a rising number of installations over the last decades. The use of ground source heat pump (GSHP) and groundwater heat pump (GWHP) systems results in local temperature anomalies (cold or heat plumes). Since groundwater is used in many countries as source for [...]

Geothermal resources exist on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Lands (PLPTL) in northwestern Nevada. We compiled numerous indicators of these resources into a geographic information system along with concurrent investigative results. This effort required acquisition and analysis of spaceborne multispectral and airborne hyperspectral remote sensing data for early-stage geothermal exploration. We identified minerals such as [...]

Greenhouses should be cooled during the summer or hot days. In order to establish optimum growth conditions in greenhouses, renewable energy sources should be utilized as much as possible. It is expected that effective use of underground air tunnels with a suitable technology in the modern greenhouses will play a leading role in Turkey in [...]

In this paper, energy and exergy analyses of the geothermal-based hydrogen production via thermochemical water decomposition using a new, four-step copper–chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle are conducted, and the respective cycle energy and exergy efficiencies are examined. Also, a parametric study is performed to investigate how each step of the cycle and its overall cycle performance are [...]