Advanced Energy still warm on Geothermal

The Geothermal Regional Training Center that was located at the Heat Pumps Skill Center in Troy, N.C., is now closed, but Advanced Energy's efforts to 'pump up' community interest in geothermal technology are still going strong.

The Training Center was one of six in the country funded by the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, a national industry-government consortium promoting the use of energy-efficient geothermal heat pumps. The purpose of the training center was to offer training and support to heating and air conditioning contractors and designers, so that geothermal systems are designed, installed, and serviced properly. The center boasted two geothermal heat pumps, one connected to a closed loop of polyethylene pipe buried vertically in the ground and one that could be hooked up to a local water hose to simulate an "open" loop system.

Recently having provided training for the North Carolina and South Carolina energy offices, Advanced Energy is actively pursuing other venues for the promotion of geothermal heat pump use and training.

"We're doing a study for public housing authorities on the possible use of geothermal technology in low-income housing," says Phil Bisesi, building science specialist for Advanced Energy. "We're also performing energy efficiency evaluations on some single-family homes where this technology is already in use, with the idea of using that data to encourage others to explore this alternative. Duke Power is interested in promoting the use of this technology in the institutional sector as well, in schools and hospitals and the like."

For more information on the closing of the Geothermal Heat Pump Training Center or on upcoming geothermal outreach programs, please contact Arnie Katz at akatz@advancedenergy.org or 1-(800) 869-8001.