The geothermal characteristics of the ground and the potential of using ground coupled heat pumps in Cyprus

The ground can be used as an energy source, an energy sink, or for energy storage and for this reason ground characteristics should be available. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to present the recorded ground temperatures at eight representative sites of Cyprus, in relation to depth, time of year, geology and altitude and discuss the efficiency of Ground Coupled Heat Pumps. The ground temperature was recorded for a period of one year, from October 2009 to October 2010. According to the results obtained, in several locations in Cyprus the surface zone reaches a depth of 0.5 m. The shallow zone penetrates to 7–8 m and there after the deep zone follows in which the temperature remains constant throughout the year with a range between 18 and 23 °C. For the eight boreholes, additional geothermal data were also recorded like the type of ground and thermal conductivities of the various geologic layers. The data collected clearly indicate that there is a potential for the efficient use of Ground Coupled Heat Pumps (GCHPs) in Cyprus leading to significant savings in heating and cooling energy consumption.

► The ground temperatures and other ground data are recorded in eight sites in Cyprus.
► The deep zone temperature of the ground in Cyprus is constant throughout the year and is within the range of 18.3 °C–23.6 °C.
► The data indicate that there is a potential for the efficient use of GCHPs in Cyprus leading to significant savings in power and money.
► The ground temperatures indicate that the vertical heat exchangers are more efficient than the horizontal ones.
► The recorded data are useful to Engineers for sizing the GHEs of heat pumps.