CHAMPAIGN, IL / ACCESS Newswire / February 26, 2025 / To provide attendees with comprehensive information about Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) and the growth opportunities they provide for ground source heat pumps, the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association's (IGSHPA) Annual Conference will feature seven sessions dedicated to TENs. In collaboration with the Geothermal Alliance of Illinois, the IGSHPA conference takes place March 11 to 13, 2025, in Champaign, Illinois.
Multiple facets of using ground source heat pumps to connect buildings to a TEN will be covered during a day-long series of workshops, sponsored by Mission Geo, on Wednesday, March 12, with additional sessions on Tuesdayand Thursday.
"There's real excitement about how TENs can support significant growth for the ground source heat pump industry," said Jeff Hammond, executive director, IGSHPA. "These sessions will provide real world examples and expert perspectives on the benefits and advantages this approach brings to utilities, schools/campuses, neighborhoods, and other stakeholders."
Topics to be covered at the IGSHPA conference will include:
lessons learned from the first wave of private and utility-owned TENs, supporting new construction, and expanding proof-of-concept loops
a case study on delivering a near net zero energy manufacturing campus
the potential of a combined geothermal power system and TEN system, when coupled with a ground heat exchanger to function as the thermal battery, to achieve efficiencies beyond what each are capable of on their own
how combining geothermal systems with wastewater energy transfer technology can address critical challenges in residential applications, including the risk of geothermal source depletion, high investment costs, and extensive land requirements
a look at the work of NYSERDA to help advance the development of large-scale thermal systems in New York State.
According to the Department of Energy's report, Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Geothermal Heating and Cooling, "By connecting buildings via piped fluid at ambient temperatures, Thermal Energy Networks can leverage the benefits of geothermal heat pumps." The report also states that "…TENs provide opportunities for bundled financing, advantages for gas utilities that deploy them, and reduce customers' exposure to volatile heating oil and natural gas prices."
"As a champion of geothermal heating and cooling, Mission Geo is pleased to support IGSHPA's conference and sponsor sessions on one of the areas that offers tremendous potential for the category, Thermal Energy Networks," said Eric Torykian, executive director, Mission Geo.
The full agenda for the conference can be accessed here.
For more information about IGSHPA, go to https://igshpa.org/. For more information about Mission Geo, go to https://missiongeo.org/.
About Mission Geo
Mission Geo is a multi-faceted awareness, understanding, and adoption initiative that will help drive market and infrastructure development in the geothermal heating and cooling industry. The initiative will focus on contractors, drillers/excavators, architects/engineers, builders, utilities, policymakers, commercial building owners, and consumers about the advantages and benefits of geothermal heat pump systems over all other HVAC systems.
About IGSHPA
The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is a non-profit, member-driven organization established in 1987 to advance ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology on local, state/provincial, national, and international levels.
Contact:
Sally Stephens
IGSHPA
sally@IGSHPA.org
SOURCE: Mission Geo
