Greensleeves Technologies Corp

Category: News

  • Geo at the Farm

    Geo at the Farm

    Farms are not just for crops anymore. They’re also an ideal location for a geothermal system. Why? Because there’s plenty of available land. This allows the end user to inexpensively take advantage of geothermal energy: the best energy source. How? By using a horizontally excavated field. Compared to vertically drilled borefields, horizontal fields are extremely cost competitive and installation is very simple. It is done through bulk excavation or trenches that are dug to a depth of 6 to 10 feet, piping is then placed at the bottom, and the original soil is backfilled into the trench. Your borefield is then ready to be used, as is the original crop field. 

     How can geothermal systems be used on the farm? They have numerous applications in the farming environment such as the use of heat for the drying of agricultural products, the production of hot water for clean-up purposes, and the ability to keep poultry and cattle barns cool (or heated) to promote animal health, safety, and treatment. 

     Using geothermal technology in the farming industry allows farmers to take greater advantages of the resources available to them, increase their production, and reduce their costs and greenhouse gases. It’s a no brainer to multi-purpose farmland to take advantage of geothermal technology. Wouldn’t you agree? 

  • Geothermal pros and cons.

    Geothermal pros and cons.

    It’s true: historically, geothermal energy had a bad reputation. For years people thought it was more expensive than conventional HVAC, it took up too much space, and it was impossible to properly design. That is no longer the complete picture.

    The reality is that when it comes to geothermal and hybrid geothermal systems the initial installation tends to be more expensive than a conventional HVAC system. However, this added expense is justified by the energy savings within 2-10 years. After this initial payback period, the energy savings are like a monthly reduction in your expense column and the system ends up being a smarter investment than a traditional HVAC system.

    As an example, a hospital in Maryland, could save 58% in energy costs annually using a hybrid geothermal system instead of a conventional system. A school in Texas could save 59% in energy costs annually using a hybrid geothermal system instead of a conventional system.

    If space is a concern, a hybrid geothermal system might make more sense. Hybrid systems require smaller borefields and use auxiliary equipment to offset the peak loads. Generally, hybrid systems require much less space than the historical full size geothermal borefields, have higher energy savings and still greatly reduce CO2 emissions – all of which help benefit your bottom line.

    As far as geothermal systems being difficult to properly design, critics were correct. Fortunately, times have changed, and technology has simplified the process for accurate designs. Predictive controls software has also given these borefield systems the ability to evolve with ever changing loads and environments.

    Geothermal has a new reputation. In today’s world, the expense of a geothermal system is paid back in reduced energy costs in less than 10 years, it emits far less CO2 than a traditional system, it reduces energy costs by up to 60% for the life of the building, it is easier than ever to design, and smart technology allows systems to evolve with the ever changing needs of the modern world.

    Geothermal systems have evolved from the past to be the systems of the future.

  • Design “rules of thumb” and why to avoid them.

    Design “rules of thumb” and why to avoid them.

     

    In many industries, there are rules of thumb that are followed. Are these rules, though, always the best method?

    The Oxford dictionary defines “rule of thumb” as: A broadly accurate guide or principle, based on practice rather than theory.

    The problem with rules of thumb in the geothermal industry is that they more often than not lead to wildly oversized or undersized borefield systems. Neither scenario will work effectively in the real world. Too much borefield equates to excessive capital expenditure and the project is rejected before it even starts. An undersized borefield may initially look attractive from a capital expense viewpoint but in short order the field will begin failing by either overheating or freezing of the ground.

    The sound basis of geothermal design has three basic elements:

    1.  an accurate energy model that simulates an entire year of operation – an 8760 energy model;

    2.  a true understanding of geologic conditions from an on-site thermal response test, and;

    3.  geothermal optimization design software.

    Rules of thumb have no place in the commercial geothermal industry – they are a recipe for disaster. Engineers must base their designs on factual information and not a “broadly accurate guide or principal”. Do you understand why geothermal design elements are so important as opposed to just general “rules of thumb”?

  • Monitoring for better effectiveness

    Monitoring for better effectiveness

    Would you operate a car if it did not have the benefit of a dashboard with performance information? If you’re operating a GHX system without monitoring it’s the same thing: like driving a car without a dashboard. You can do it, but why take the risk?

    When it comes to geothermal heating and cooling systems, visualization technology that shows you current operating conditions, summary performance metrics, cost and carbon savings is your dashboard.

    Monitoring software gives local and remote real-time trends, heat pump status, entering and exiting water temperatures, energy extracted from heating or rejected from cooling to the ground, fluid temperatures, flow rates, run times and current operating conditions.

    Not only does a monitoring system give you peace of mind that your system is operating correctly, it’s the preventative maintenance light on your car dashboard that tells you to get gas or change your oil.

    If you would not operate your car without a dashboard, why run your geothermal heating and cooling system without monitoring software?

    Monitoring is peace of mind, the first step in preventive maintenance, and the road map for GHX efficiency. Can you see why it’s so essential for your system?

  • Borefield Rescue

    Borefield Rescue

    What do you do if your geothermal borefield is failing?

    Don’t panic; modern technology can help rescue your borefield.

    A properly designed borefield should give you years of indoor air comfort. Unaccounted for changes in building use, climate and global warming impacts and numerous unforseen events, however, can result in borefield temperature issues.
    Historically, engineers did not have the tools to help borefields evolve with the changes. The standard solutions were adding extra borefeet, oversized cooling towers and/or redundant boilers. These fixes may have worked, but they came with an expensive price tag. At least they were better than totally abandoning the borefield.

    Modern technology takes into account previous and future unexpected changes and makes your borefield good as new. Actual historical building data should be analyzed to determine the appropriate size cooling tower or boiler needed to bring the borefield into normal temperature range. Once properly sized equipment is installed, software will use this historical data in conjunction with real time data to optimize the equipment to maintain proper borefield temperatures going forward. Additionally, by using Controls software to optimize the system, energy costs and CO2 emissions are reduced, water consumption is lowered, and unexpected future changes are automatically accounted for.

    Don’t abandon your borefield or add oversized equipment when a better solution is readily available.
    Rescue your borefield, optimize your system, and stay cool for years to come.

  • Geothermal Optimization Software vs BAS static software.

    Geothermal Optimization Software vs BAS static software.

    Does your building use a Building Automation System? Many BAS systems have static geothermal controls that allow the technician to run equipment on a timed schedule allowing you to save on energy and lower your utility bills.

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  • Optimizing your hybrid geothermal system

    Optimizing your hybrid geothermal system

    Hybrid geothermal systems use GSHPs to satisfy base building load needs and conventional equipment to address peak demands.

    These systems improve the overall performance of your heating and cooling equipment and reduce capital costs, energy use, and carbon emissions.

    As with all heating and cooling, the key to a well-designed and properly installed geothermal system, especially a hybrid system, is the addition of geothermal optimization software that pro-actively monitors, controls and optimizes all of your equipment.

    Fortunately, there are geothermal optimization software packages that are inexpensive supplements to your BAS system and pay for themselves in short order.

    Unlike traditional BAS systems, geothermal optimization software pro-actively balances the ground thermal loads, maintains the appropriate GSHP temperatures, and manages the supplemental equipment to address your building’s heating and cooling needs while dramatically reducing your overall costs, energy use, and carbon emissions.

    These geothermal optimization software programs use artificial intelligence to maximize your investment in ways your BAS never imagined. For example, they can redirect heat exchange fluid to your cooling tower at night when electricity rates are low or inject heat through the boiler and into the building loop when the GSHP temperature drops below design temperatures.

    The fact is that BAS systems were designed for buildings with traditional HVAC systems.  Geothermal optimization software packages were designed to assist BAS systems with geothermal and hybrid heating and cooling systems.

    When it comes to optimizing a building with a geothermal or hybrid system, simply download these geothermal specific optimization programs into your BAS and let the artificial intelligence and predictive controls constantly review your building’s energy usage, historical and real–time weather data and occupancy schedules, and fully optimize your system to deliver consistent indoor climate comfort at the lowest cost with the least carbon emissions.

    BAS and geothermal optimization software: two great systems that work great together. Are they working for you?

  • Save Money with Hybrid Geothermal.

    Save Money with Hybrid Geothermal.

    One of the big decisions when constructing a new building is how to heat and cool it. If you want a solution that is environmentally friendly and can lower your energy costs, you should consider installing a hybrid geothermal system. This type of system reduces upfront capital costs, emits fewer greenhouse gases and lowers energy costs.
    Using the Greensleeves’ Solutions Tool, we modeled a hypothetical 74,000 ft² school in Memphis, TN. In this model, the school could incur an initial capital cost of $1.16M, and have annual energy expenditures of $91k, using a conventional HVAC system.
    That same school could incur an initial capital cost of $1.78M, and have annual energy expenditures of $62k, using a traditional geothermal system. This system has additional capital costs but reduces the energy costs by approximately 32% annually.
    If this same school used a hybrid geothermal system, the model shows that the initial capital cost could be $1.48M and the annual energy expenditures would be $53k.
    In this scenario, a hybrid geothermal system uses approximately 42% less energy than a conventional system, and the installation cost is $300k less than a traditional geothermal system. Running the lifecycle cost analysis in this Solutions Tool, a hybrid geothermal system has a $2.6M savings when compared to a conventional system, creating a 7.7-year payback.
    Every new construction project should consider a hybrid geothermal system as cost effective alternative to conventional HVAC systems. Save your money, while saving our planet.
    We invite you to visit the Greensleeves’ Solutions Tool to explore the possibilities.

  • Are You Wasting Resources You Already Pay For?

    Are You Wasting Resources You Already Pay For?

    The movement of heat energy to and from a building is important in the heating and cooling process. A properly engineered geothermal system takes into account the entire building from the standpoint of heat sources and sinks, and efficiently moves heat that already exists throughout the building.
    It is commonly understood that geothermal systems move heat from the earth to the building when there is a heating need and from the building to the ground during cooling. However, there are other ways heat can be moved around that maximize energy savings and often reduce the overall system’s capital costs. Do you know how that’s done?
    Most commercial buildings are cooling dominant. This means that over the course of a year there will be more heat energy rejected than absorbed. If the amount of heat rejected can be balanced with what will be needed later, the size and cost of the outside heat exchanger can be greatly reduced.
    How can this excess heat energy be used? Many commercial buildings have a significant need for domestic hot water – including bathrooms, locker rooms, kitchens, and laundry. Geothermal heat pumps can use the heat absorbed from space conditioning to generate nearly free hot water. Why buy more energy to produce hot water when excess heat energy is being wasted?
    Additionally, excess building heat energy can be used to generate the hot water needed for radiant and snow melt systems. With radiant systems, heat can be moved from the core areas of a building, where cooling may be required year-round, to the perimeter areas of the building where there may be heat loss through walls and windows. With snow melt systems, the excess heat energy can be used to melt snow and ice on sidewalks and driveways.
    In situations where a building is heating dominant, there may be additional opportunities to capture heat and move it to the building for space conditioning or hot water generation.
    When excess heat energy is generated, but not immediately needed, it can be moved to the ground and stored for later use. What kinds of heat movement does your building need? Are you taking advantage of this free resource?

  • Carbon Emissions: What Are You Doing To Eliminate Them?

    Carbon Emissions: What Are You Doing To Eliminate Them?

     

    The use of geothermal technology helps positively impact the health of the environment through the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

    Geothermal systems do not use the combustion process for heating and cooling, dramatically reducing the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning. Consequently, most geothermal systems emit close to zero carbon emissions, helping all of us move closer to a sustainable society and a cleaner tomorrow