Friday, July 14, 2017

USA: Google X Unveils Dandelion: A New Company for Geothermal Energy

URBED's Barbara Eldredge reports that Google's parent company, Alphabet, has announced a new independent company that's dedicated to the bringing affordable home geothermal energy to the masses.
Dubbed Dandelion, the company plans to drive down costs and amp up convenience. Developed over years of research and protyping, the company’s biggest asset in this fight is a new kind of drill that’s purpose-built for drilling geothermal wells. The technology can install geothermal ground loops in just half a day, as opposed to the typical three or four days, and leaves much of the yard undisturbed.

"We started this project because we realized millions of homeowners are using expensive, truck-delivered fuels because they don't have access to better options today," said Dandelion CEO Kathy Hannun in a statement. "We knew if installing a geothermal heat pump was a simpler and more affordable process, these homeowners would have access to a better product that's also better for the climate."  

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