GeoExchange BC leads development of new ITA driller certification program

PRESS RELEASE - For immediate publication

Wednesday, 10 September 2014
by GeoExchange BC

With support from the Ministry of Environment ('MOE'), with guidance from the Industry Training Authority ('ITA') and in collaboration with the BC Groundwater Association (BCGWA), GeoExchange BC is proud to announce a new certification path for geoexchange drillers in British Columbia.  Through the leadership and contributions of GeoExchange BC volunteer Board of Directors Jeff Quibell, Ruben Arellano and Scott Steward, as well as contributions from drilling professional Gordon Horbay, the much needed and previously lacking certification path for geoexchange drillers is now in place.

As a result, an individual in British Columbia can now become certified as a 'Geoexchange Driller' by challenging the certification which is overseen and administered by the ITA.  Individuals who wish to challenge the Geoexchange Driller certification must complete the Geoexchange Driller Challenge Application and submit it to the ITA.

For more information, please click here to visit the Industry Training Authority.

GeoExchange BC in Canadian Consulting Engineer

Geoexchange Systems: Next Steps

WHILE GEOEXCHANGE SYSTEMS HAVE MANY ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES, THINGS CAN GO WRONG.  A GROUP IN B.C. IS UNDERTAKING TO STUDY THEIR PERFORMANCE AND GUIDE THEIR DESIGN

Thursday, 1 May 2014
by Ruben Arellano, P.Eng

Geoexchange and heat pump technology is long established, with the first systems developed and implemented in the 1950s. With increasing awareness, improved equipment and industry expertise, and the rising cost of energy in recent years, the technology has experienced a resurgence. It is estimated that there are now over 100,000 geoexchange systems installed in Canada, and in the past 10 years the industry has experienced double-digit growth in most markets across the country.

Geoexchange systems use a readily available source of renewable energy to heat and cool a building. This energy is essentially solar radiation stored within the upper crust of the earth, and it can be tapped wherever you have access to the earth, ground water, a lake, or the ocean.

Although some electricity is required to drive the heat pump and circulation pumps, well designed geoexchange systems can deliver 75% of the total heating energy from renewable energy stored in the ground. The systems are a proven and reliable solution to boost energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, and they have attracted significant attention.

Seems simple: needs design rigour

Although geoexchange technology appears simple, this is deceiving. It relies on the integration of mechanical components and has to adapt to complex site-specific earth and building thermodynamic processes...

To read the whole article, please click here to visit Canadian Consulting Engineer.

GeoExchange BC in APEGBC Innovation Journal

Energy at Your Feet

Geoexchange Taps Solar Heat Stored in the Earth 

March 2014
By D'Arcy Jenish

One of the most abundant, reliable and cleanest forms of energy on Earth may well be right beneath your feet, or your home, your office or your plant. It is the solar energy that the earth absorbs and stores every day and there is a proven and fail-safe technology available for using that energy to heat or cool residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

The technology in question is known as geoexchange, or geothermal exchange. It
is widely used in some parts of the Southern and Midwestern United States and it has gained wide acceptance in many European countries, which are not blessed with abun- dant and relatively inexpensive supplies of oil, natural gas, coal and hydro-electricity. Geoexchange has been a tougher sell in Canada largely because the country is one of the world’s leading producers of fossil fuels and hydro is abundant.

But that is changing, thanks to the growing public concern over climate change and increased awareness of the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions. “The upside,” says Ruben Arellano, P.Eng., a geological engineer with Burnaby-based Associated Engineering and Past President of GeoExchange BC, an industry association devoted to promoting best practices, “is that there is a lot of pressure on building owners to adopt more sustainable design approaches—and more green energy, including geoexchange, is one of them.”

Furthermore, the geoexchange industry is more advanced in BC than in other parts of the country. High utility rates, along with the moderate climate in the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan and some other parts of the Province have encour- aged building owners to go with geoexchange. As well, companies that design systems have promoted the advantages of the technology...

To read the whole article, please click here to visit APEGBC Innovation Journal.