The 2021 IGSHPA Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on December 14 to 16 was a great success!

The partnership with NGWA (National Ground Water Association) provided attendees with even more exhibits to visit and gave NGWA attendees the opportunity to attend IGSHPA workshops, as well as discuss geothermal opportunities with exhibitors in the IGSHPA pavilion.

Below are links to the presentations from the conference.

IGSHPA Keynote

Getting to Scale: Reframing Geothermal Exchange in the Age of Electrification…

PDF – 9 MB
Greg Wolfson, EcoSart Solution

Ground source heat pumps, a key to geothermal exchange technology, is highly regarded among the renewable industry due to its resource sustainability and significant energy demand reduction. However, despite having a long, developed history, geothermal exchange technology has yet to become mainstream presence with modern consumers and associated construction industries. While data suggests that the energy efficiency, resiliency, and reliability of geothermal exchange offers a strong alternative to more common heating and cooling solutions in a world of increased electrification and disastrous weather events, adoption and innovation in the sector are not keeping pace with other renewable energy infrastructure. Whisper Valley is a master-planned community of 7,500 mixed use units in Austin, TX that provides the industry with pathways to scalability. This development, consisting of networked geothermal exchange grids – currently serving 265 occupied single-family residences to be expanded up to 850 homes – show how scale can be achieved within the industry. Working closely with the developer and builders of the project provides the capability to reduce costs of installation, operation, equipment, and local labor. During this presentation, we will explore how the lessons from Whisper Valley can be applied to the industry at large to deliver the growth and success we all envision.

IGSHPA Leadership Address…

PDF – 40 MB
Jeff Hammond and Kortney Lull

The Leadership address was an update on the organization over the past year and plans for 2022.

Residential Track Presentations:

System Design Part I — Heat pump sizing considerations…

PDF – 18 MB
Jeff Hammond

Limitations of residential load calculations, ACCA Manual S requirements, ANSI/CSA/IGSHPA C448 guidelines, and other topics that help put residential equipment selection into perspective.

Residential System Design Part II — ground loop sizing considerations…

PDF – 19 MB
Jeff Hammond

Best practices for residential ground loop sizing, referencing ANSI/CSA/IGSHPA C448, as well as providing examples of several heat pump manufacturers’ software and the IGSHPA design manual.

Residential System Design Part III — pump system considerations…

PDF – 2 MB
Tom Wyer

Pumping systems and components typically used in residential installations including a comparison of pressurized and non-pressurized flow centers and the requirements of ANSI/CSA/IGSHPA C448.

Residential System Design Part IV — Hydronics and Geothermal, Best Practices/Design Recommendations…

PDF – 26 MB
Jim Cusack

Designing hydronic systems for geothermal water-to-water heat pumps, including pipe spacing recommendations, outdoor temperature reset controls, buffer tank sizing/selection, and other lessons learned to help design a trouble-free, comfortable hydronic system. Some “what not to do” tips and applications will be included to provide real-world examples.

Maximizing profit with your current workforce…

PDF – 12 MB
Rob Derksen

Explore how selling geothermal systems can result in better profitability without changing your current staffing levels. We will also touch on what may be your greatest sales asset that you haven’t deployed yet.

Commercial Track Presentations:

System Design Part I — Building Loads and Equipment Selection…

PDF – 15 MB
Steve Hamstra

Recommended processes to follow for successful GSHP applications. We will cover the “in the building” portion of design including load analysis, energy modeling, system configurations, control applications and more, explaining why each step is important and highlighting areas for special diligence to ensure good projects.

Commercial System Design Part II – Ground Loop…

PDF – 25 MB
Steve Hamstra

Steps for good heat exchanger design, highlighting some of the software tools available, discussing design parameters and how they impact the final design, as well as highlighting the potential integration of ground heat exchangers with other heat sources/sinks that can enhance the system performance and also increase the number of economically feasible GSHP projects.

Not Just for Rich Folks: GSHP Designs to Expand the Market to K-12 Schools and Middle Class…

PDF – 5 MB
Dr. Steve Kavanaugh

An overview of pump sizing design and the impact on efficiency. Other topics impacting a healthy commercial geothermal application will include fan power, considerations on system efficiency, and how simple designs can promote growth around the local installation area, especially affecting adoption of geothermal by schools, homeowners, and developers.

Water Quality & Final Commissioning…

PDF – 21 MB
Sean Hogan

Why commissioning is so important for long term reliability and performance. A discussion on water quality, lessons learned, and other tips will be included to help demonstrate best practices.

Scaling Up: The impact of ground source heat pump systems in district energy applications…

PDF – 42 MB
Brian Urlaub

National and global familiarity with ground source heat pump technology is accelerating with the widespread awareness of the climate consequences of carbon emissions. While the cumulative impact of HP systems supporting individual buildings is not to be discounted, the opportunities of scale made possible with district energy applications of HPs represent potential for a greater leap forward in the face of mounting environmental urgency and accelerating transformation of the energy marketplace.

Commercial Urban Drilling – Challenges and Successes…

PDF – 8 MB
Stan Reitsma

Urban drilling has seen many successes over the years, such as the advancement of angled drilling techniques, deeper driller depths and more. However, as the geothermal industry grows, new challenges continue to emerge. A discussion about successes and emerging challenges facing commercial urban drillers will be the focus of this presentation.

Multi-Residential Carbon Targets: A Geothermal Game Changer…

PDF – 17 MB
Tim Weber

Government mandates and municipal policy to reduce or eliminate fossil fuels is creating a challenge for developers and designers, forcing them to re-think how they design and construct buildings. Hear how Diverso Energy, a geothermal utility company, has turned this challenge into an opportunity by removing the technical and financial barriers of geothermal. As a result, geothermal is now considered the path of least resistance and quickly becoming the new status quo for Developers in Toronto.

Driller Track Presentations:

Importance of Grouting in geothermal systems…

PDF – 5 MB
Tyler Harbeck

Reasons why selecting a high-quality geothermal grouting product for GSHP applications is more than just an arbitrary decision.

Thermally Enhanced Grout…

PDF – 3 MB
Tyler Harbeck

Thermally enhanced grouting products impact on bore hole resistance, system design, and installed system performance.

Why are drillers important to geothermal?…

PDF – 95 MB
Brock Yordy

Examples of water well drillers who have moved into geothermal successfully and tips for how drillers and contractors can work together on new opportunities.

Successful drilling in geothermal…

PDF – 30 MB
Dan Rau

How a geothermal only business was planned and built, highlighting the methods and approach to geothermal design and installation. A few projects will be highlighted as examples, and there will be time for questions.

Beneficial Electrification…

PDF – 13 MB
Steve Koep

As the carbon intensity of electricity continues to fall and the country moves toward a ‘clean’, carbon-free grid, all electric end uses, including ground-source heat pumps, are getting cleaner right along with it. That’s the essence of Beneficial Electrification (BE). Today’s ground-source heat pump (GSHP) technology constitutes one of the most impactful and scalable BE opportunities available. As the nation moves to decarbonize both new and existing buildings, GSHP technology is uniquely positioned as the most efficient and effective infrastructure choice for all-electric space conditioning and water heating. Electric utilities, whether member-owned, public-owned or investor-owned, are embracing this opportunity to build out the country’s electric HVAC infrastructure for the sustainable clean- energy future. Join us to learn ‘everything you ever wanted to know’ about BE!