Geoespatial Distribution of the Efficiency and Sustainability of Different Energy Sources for Geothermal Heat Pumps in Europe

This research work aims at the multinational study, in Europe, of the emissions and energy costs generated by the operation of low enthalpy geothermal systems, with heat pumps fed by different energy sources. From the economic point of view, gas natural and biogas prizes are, usually, lower than electricity ones. So, it may be advantageous to use these energy sources to feed the heat pumps instead of electricity. From the environmental point of view, it’s intended to highlight the fact that under certain conditions of electricity production (electricity mix.), more CO₂ emissions are produced by electricity consumption than using other a priori less “clean” energy sources such as natural gas. In order to establish the countries where each of the different heat pumps may be more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly, multi-source data have been collected and analyzed. The results show that in the whole majority of cases, the electric heat pump is the most recommendable solution. However, there are some countries (such as Poland and Estonia), where the gas engine heat pump may be a better alternative.