Planning analyses for geothermal district heating

Methodology and data bases are described which can provide a comprehensive planning assessment of the potential for geothermal district heating in any US market. This economic systems model encompasses life-cycle costing over a period of rising competitive fuel prices, it addresses the expansion and financing of a district system over time, and it includes an overall optimization of system design. The elemental area for all analyses is the census tract, for which published data allow estimation of residential and commercial heating demands, building retrofit requirements, and competitive fuel consumption and cost. A system type design, an appropriate hot water district piping system, and costing of heat supply is performed for groups of contiguous tracts in any urban market. Groups are aggregated, in decreasing benefit to cost order, to achieve optimal systems. A specific application for Salt Lake City, Utah, is also described