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GEOTeCH, a consortium of several European universities, research groups, and companies are currently developing a new, more affordable geothermal heat pump system.
In an effort to both decrease fossil fuel consumption in Europe, and to be easily accessible to most households, GEOTeCH has created a dual-source heat pump unit using both the ground and the air as heat sources depending on outside temperatures. According to Treehugger.com, the system determines the best source and then operates as either an air-to-water, or brine-to-water (ground) heat pump.
The technology is being tested in four spots around Europe. In the UK, one has been installed on the campus of De Montfort University Leicester that's meant to replicate a small household. At that location, five bore holes were drilled to at least 10 meters deep. Four of those contain heat exchangers, while the fifth contains a temperature sensor that monitors temperature changes in the ground. That data, along with that from air temperature sensors allows the system to determine which source is needed for heating or cooling.
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