Denver Museum of Nature & Science and experts from Swedish heat pump company, Qvantum, to explore geothermal heating and cooling system
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has received a $250,000 grant from the Colorado Energy Office. This funding will support the development of spatially coordinated engineering designs to explore the feasibility of a geothermal heating and cooling system, which has the potential to reduce the load on the Museum’s natural gas steam boilers. A team of experts from Qvantum will work on defining the technical solution and providing support as the project undergoes evaluation to determine its viability.
"The plan is to create a low-temperature grid, or an “ambient loop” that combines small and large heat pumps, significantly reducing CO2 emissions and improving local air quality", says Michael Moggeridge, Director at Qvantum Solution Design Limited, one of the subsidiaries of Qvantum Industries."The really smart part is that we use existing system infrastructure to make the project much more viable."
"These heat pumps can deliver heating and cooling with excess thermal energy in one area of the building that can be used in another. The geothermal element enables interseasonal heating and cooling where excess heat in the summer can be stored in the ground and utilized again in the winter. The concept is often referred to as “5th generation district heating”, which is the most efficient way to heat and cool thermal energy loads across multiple diverse building types."
The design work will be coordinated by BCER with Merestone providing project suppprt. They will be aided by experts from Swedish heat pump system company Qvantum: Per Rosén, Tekn.Dr. and Specialist in Energy Systems, Jonas Ekestubbe, Head of heat pump system design together with Michael Moggeridge. They have all been part of designing low-temperature heating and cooling systems for mixed-use systems in the UK, Sweden and other parts of the world. They will also work closely together with the Museum’s team of internal systems experts and general contractors.
“This will enable the Museum to decarbonize our energy system, and that will include inter-seasonal energy storage,” says George Sparks, CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
"The Museum is deeply interested in this new technology and looks forward to potentially becoming one of the first in the US to implement it."
The grant is part of Colorado Governor Jared Polis $7,7 million award program for Geothermal Energy Projects.
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for formal and informal science education. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
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Qvantum has developed and produced high-quality heat pumps and energy systems since 1993. Its team of leading experts designs the next generation of heating and cooling solutions. Qvantum provides heat pumps and a unique software suite that will make it easier for Engineering consultants, Installers, Project developers, and Utilities to decarbonise the heating and cooling of urban areas.
Headquartered in Åstorp in Sweden, Qvantum has subsidiaries in Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, France, Austria, Hungary and the UK, and has recently acquired a large-scale manufacturing facility from Electrolux. The company currently has some 350 employees in eight countries.
