View all text of Part B [§ 17191 - § 17204]
§ 17195a. Geothermal heat pumps and direct use research and development
(a) Purposes
The purposes of this section are—
(1) to improve the understanding of related earth sciences, components, processes, and systems used for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy; and
(2) to increase the energy efficiency, lower the cost, increase the use, and improve and demonstrate the effectiveness of geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy.
(b) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Direct use of geothermal energy
The term “direct use of geothermal energy” means geothermal systems that use water directly or through a heat exchanger to provide—
(A) heating and cooling to buildings, commercial districts, residential communities, and large municipal, or industrial projects; or
(B) heat required for industrial processes, agriculture, aquaculture, and other facilities.
(2) Economically distressed area
(3) Geothermal heat pump
The term “geothermal heat pump” means a system that provides heating and cooling by exchanging heat from shallow geology, groundwater, or surface water using—
(A) a closed loop system, which transfers heat by way of buried or immersed pipes that contain a mix of water and working fluid; or
(B) an open loop system, which circulates ground or surface water directly into the building and returns the water to the same aquifer or surface water source.
(c) Program
(1) In general
(2) Areas
The program under paragraph (1) may include research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of—
(A) geothermal ground loop efficiency improvements, cost reductions, and improved installation and operations methods;
(B) the use of geothermal energy for building-scale energy storage;
(C) the use of geothermal energy as a grid management resource or seasonal energy storage;
(D) geothermal heat pump efficiency improvements;
(E) the use of alternative fluids as a heat exchange medium, such as hot water found in mines and mine shafts, graywater, or other fluids that may improve the economics of geothermal heat pumps;
(F) heating of districts, neighborhoods, communities, large commercial or public buildings, and industrial and manufacturing facilities;
(G) the use of low temperature groundwater for direct use; and
(H) system integration of direct use with geothermal electricity production.
(3) Environmental impacts
(d) Financial assistance
(1) In general
(2) Priority
(Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 616A, as added Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title III, § 3002(e)(1), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2492.)