Ground source heat pumps

This chapter presents a short review on ground source heat pumps (GSHPs). A comparison between the different types of GSHPs is provided showing the main aspects related to each system. The analyses are carried out based on the GSHP’s performance, cost, and environmental impact. It was found that the coefficient of performance (COP) is mostly affected by the ground heat exchanger’s depth and borehole spacing. The COP could be significantly enhanced by using a supporting energy source to develop a hybrid GSHP. It was reported that most hybrid GSHPs incorporate solar energy as it can considerably recover the ground thermal energy especially when operating in heating mode. The capital cost of GSHPs was considered one of the most critical challenges, which is highly affected by the size of ground loop, depth, materials cost, area, fittings, and mechanical room. However, the low operating cost of GSHPs is a key parameter that encourages installing such systems. Additionally, they have limited environmental impacts and can reduce pollutant emissions compared with conventional heating systems, for example, air source heat pump.