State can use geothermal heat to beat cold: Prof Dimri

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 15

Emphasising the advantages of geothermal heat pumps, Padma Shri recipient Prof VP Dimri here today said Uttarakhand can exploit advantage of geothermal energy to beat the severe cold during winter months.

“Uttarakhand is the fit case to exploit the advantages of geothermal heat pumps,” Professor Dimri told The Tribune.

He said geothermal heat pumps can be an effective low-cost alternative for space heating requirements during the period of severe cold conditions that prevail in the hilly areas of the state.

The Padma Shri recipient said European countries had successfully used these heat pumps to avoid cold and Uttarakhand too can emulate them.

Geothermal energy is derived from the earth’s internal heat. It is both environmentally clean and renewable.

The hilly regions of Uttarakhand undergo extended periods of winter and space heating inside houses, schools and hospitals becomes necessary.

Presently, such heating requirements are being met by using electric heaters, wherever power supply is available and accessible, or from burning wood, charcoal or kerosene. However, all of these contribute to environmental degradation and have harmful effects on human health as well.

Elaborating on the functioning of the pump, Professor Dimri said: “Geothermal heat pump makes use of the relatively stable temperature at a depth of few meters in the ground.”

“During winter, the subsurface temperature is warmer than the room temperature, whereas during summer the sub-surface temperature may be cooler. Geothermal heat pumps, therefore, can be extensively used for space heating in winter and cooling in summer, replacing fossil fuel driven heating and cooling systems,” he said.

Professor Dimri further said presence of hot springs such as Gangnani, Yamunotri and Tapoban evidently reveal the heat source within the earth.

He suggested a detailed study of the ground temperature and other related geological and thermal parameters of the subsurface in different areas of Uttarakhand to explore the feasibility of deploying geothermal heat pumps in the region.