Ground Source Heat Pump Systems and Thermal Energy Applications
Summary
Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems harness the relatively constant temperature of the subsurface to provide efficient heating and cooling for buildings and infrastructure. By circulating a fluid through borehole heat exchangers or energy piles, these systems absorb thermal energy from the ground in winter and reject excess heat in summer. Integration with seasonal thermal energy storage and district heating networks can further enhance flexibility and renewable energy penetration. Recent advances span closed-loop deep borehole heat exchangers, shallow energy geostructures, and hybrid designs that combine geothermal exchange with solar or waste heat sources. The global significance lies in substantial reductions in carbon emissions, peak electrical demand and fossil-fuel dependency, while maintaining occupant comfort and supporting resilience in urban and rural environments.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have deployed large-scale monitoring of over one thousand heat pumps across Central Europe to assess real‐world performance, revealing that a small but significant proportion of ground‐source systems underperform or are incorrectly sized. This work emphasises the need for standardised post‐installation evaluation protocols and digital feedback tools to optimise efficiency and guide future installations. Complementary global modelling of aquifer temperatures under climate change projections indicates an average rise of more than 2 °C by 2100, with regional variability linked to water table depth and local climate. These findings underscore how warming ground temperatures will influence heat pump efficiency, groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the overall geothermal potential for thermal energy applications.
Ground Source Heat Pump Systems and Thermal Energy Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in ground source heat pump systems and thermal energy applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP): A system that transfers heat between a building and the ground via buried heat exchangers and a heat pump cycle for space heating and cooling.
Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE): A vertical or horizontal subsurface loop filled with a heat-transfer fluid that exchanges thermal energy with surrounding soil or rock.
Energy Pile: A foundation element that doubles as a geothermal heat exchanger, combining structural support with subsurface thermal exchange.
Coefficient of Performance (COP): The ratio of useful heating or cooling provided by a heat pump to the electrical energy consumed.
Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES): The practice of storing excess heat or cold in the ground or other media for use in a different season to balance supply and demand.
References
- Estimation of energy efficiency of heat pumps in residential buildings using real operation data. Nature Communications (2025).
- Global groundwater warming due to climate change. Nature Geoscience (2024).
- Numerical investigation on the performance, sustainability, and efficiency of the deep borehole heat exchanger system for building heating. Geothermal Energy (2019).
- Thermally induced group effects among energy piles. Géotechnique (2016).
- Design Considerations for Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES): A Review with Emphasis on Convective Heat Transfer. Geofluids (2019).
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