LEGEND

Low Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Demonstration cases for Energy Efficient building in Adriatic area

Program: IPA Adriatic CBC 2007-2013

Beneficiary: Province of Ferrara, IT

Duration: 10/2012 - 03/2015

Budget: € 2.928.775,27(DUNEA budget € 234.071,18)

Geothermal energy is one of the most environmentally-friendly and cost-effective energy resources in use and has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels. Recent technological progresses, the variability of cost and the difficulty of oil and gas supply, the need to reduce fossil fuels, to cut pollution and our reliance on supplies from foreign countries, have made the exploitation of geothermal energy, especially low-enthalpy power generation utilizing GCHP (Ground Coupled Heat pumps) an attractive and viable alternative.

It is especially usefull for applications such as home heating and cooling, opening a potential for widespread exploitation, such as to curb energy consumption of residential buildings, industries and SMEs. Since it is not dependant on the presence of hot-water deep basins, the low enthalpy power generation utilizing GCHP can be exploited everywhere, with the help of a ground-source heat pump from the soil by using borehole heat exchangers. Overall objective of LEGEND project is the promotion of energy efficiency concepts and the low-enthalpy geothermal energy benefits in the Adriatic area.

In order to show that this technology is based on a feasible, cost effective and mature technique, with an outstanding potential to mitigate GHG emissions and energy saving for demonstration pilot in Dubrovnik Neretva County, elementary school in Opuzen was chosen. For one part of the school thermo technical heating system with fuel oil was changed to a renewable energy source, heat pump with ground-source energy, which significantly reduced costs of heating. Works were carried out in 3 phases: geological research and thermal response test, installation of geothermal baskets, mechanical and electrical installations.

The overall project objectives have been achieved through:

• 10 demonstration cases utilizing GCHP in public buildings of Italy, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina;
• SWOT analysis pre-investment surveys and Life Cycle Analysis methods to support the public administration to choose the most effective and environmental-friendly heat pump technologies;
• Thematic workshops to increase the knowledge among general public and private stakeholders over the most representative best practices in GCHP technology at European level for residential, public and industrial buildings;
• Technical seminars to enhance the know-how in GCHP techniques and skills of all relevant actors (energy managers and specialized stakeholders from public and private sectors);
• Political and technical memorandum and guidelines to harmonize normative frameworks, to improve a better understanding of GCHP benefits and promote investments of geothermal energy in public and private sectors.

www.legend-geothermalenergy.eu 

Galerije:

• Elementary school Opuzen