Potential and Future Prospects of Geothermal Energy in Space Conditioning of Buildings: India and Worldwide Review

Abstract

This paper presents modern trends in geothermal energy utilization, mainly focusing on ground source heat (GSH) pumps for space conditioning in buildings. This paper focuses on India along with a general review of studies around the world. Space conditioning of a building contributes to about 40–50% of the total energy consumed in buildings and has an adverse impact on the environment and human health. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) estimates that the demand for electricity for heating and cooling of buildings will increase by over 700% in India at current levels by 2047 with an additional 800 GW of power generation capacity needed just to meet heating and cooling needs by 2050, of which about 70% is required for the residential sector only. It further intensifies as the demand for peak electric load sharply increases in summer because of the extensive use of building air conditioning systems. Researchers across the globe have tried different cooling systems and found that some systems can offer a certain amount of energy-efficient performance, and also occupant comfort. Therefore, this article examines the geothermal potential in buildings for space conditioning by critically reviewing experimental and numerical studies along with the future prospects of GSH pumps.