Analysis of the use of geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling of individual residential buildings

Abstract

Today, humanity is beginning to realize the problem of the growing shortage of natural energy sources. The prices of these sources are rising uncontrollably and will continue to rise in the future. As the Republic of Moldova does not have its own fossil fuels fields and is totally dependent on foreign imports, the implementation of renewable energy sources technologies becomes vital. In this sense, the usage of closed type geothermal heat pumps with direct heat exchange in new and reconstructed residential buildings to replace traditional heating boilers is beneficial. They can be especially effective in areas where there are no gas supply pipelines. The purpose of the paper is to determine the perspectives of geothermal heat pumps using in residential buildings in the Republic of Moldova climatic conditions. Examples with implemented geothermal heat pumps and project solutions for heating/cooling and hot water supply systems for three individual residential buildings in the southern region of the Republic of Moldova were analyzed for task implementation. During the 2020-2021 heating season, it was not necessary to use the additional reserve heat source for the examined objects.