Specifically in Greece, the method of cooling with the use of groundwater wells can generate savings up to 40% compared to conventional air-cooled systems, and represents a technically and economically desirable solution for installations where well drilling reaches up to 150m.
In practice, groundwater replaces water used in the cooling towers while the cooling towers are replaced with a groundwater suction well and a discharge well. In Greece, the groundwater aquifer sustains relatively low temperatures ranging from 16 to 22oC as opposed to air temperature, therefore increasing the efficiency of the heat pump (chiller) resulting in the previously mentioned significant energy savings. Simultaneously, this method of cooling provides constant efficiency levels regardless of the variations in air temperature.
The initial investment costs of such systems are similar and on certain occasions more economical than the conventional air cooling systems with the exception of water suction and discharge components, which constitute an important part of the investment and require special design and use of materials to ensure their reliability.
A similar technique can be applied with the implementation of special heat pumps to produce hot water up to 60oC by utilizing steady temperature groundwater. Hot water production with the use of shallow groundwater geothermal systems featuring high efficiency heat pumps can reduce costs up to 80% in comparison with conventional hot water production systems that use oil or gas boilers. Due to significant cost savings, shallow groundwater geothermal system applications can be technically and economically the ideal solution for industrial, residential, or greenhouse heating, even with deep wells reaching down to 300m.
SYCHEM S.A. can guarantee the energy outcome of its systems, based on the specialized expertise on shallow groundwater geothermal systems, and the important experience on the hydrogeologic environment at various locations in Greece that it has gained from several installations. Experience, as well as scientific background regarding the behavior of groundwater table and the performance of energy systems featuring heat pumps, are essential prerequisites for a successful shallow groundwater geothermal system application and for the achievement of the maximum possible energy conservation.
Since its inception, SYCHEM S.A. has designed and built exceptionally reliable and technically and economically tested shallow groundwater geothermal energy cooling/heating installations with the use of groundwater wells.
