Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs) generally offer significant environmental advantages over traditional heating systems. Unlike gas or oil boilers, they produce no direct greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate dependence on fossil fuels. In contrast to electric baseboard heaters, which require a large amount of energy to generate heat directly, GHPs harness renewable energy from the ground. They can deliver three to five times more thermal energy than the electricity they consume. Compared to air-source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps are more efficient. By exploiting the stable ground temperature, they ensure consistent performance. However, in a context where the electricity mix influences the environmental impact of heating systems, integrating geothermal installations raises questions about their actual environmental relevance. While highly efficient and less energy-intensive than conventional systems, this consideration is particularly relevant in regions such as Quebec, where electricity is primarily generated from renewable sources, notably hydropower.
This thesis aims to analyze the life cycle of a GHP in a commercial building located in Montreal. The environmental footprint assessment follows the ISO 14040/44 standards using the SimaPro 9.6 software. The system boundaries include production, installation, annual operation, and end-of-life phases of the GHP. The life cycle inventory is sourced from the Ecoinvent 3.10 database and adapted to the Quebec context. Two methods, TRACI 2.1 and ReCiPe 2016, are employed to conduct both Midpoint and Endpoint analyses. The results indicate that the production and installation phases of geothermal systems contribute the most to the majority of impact categories (IC), particularly ozone layer depletion (97.28%) and fossil fuel depletion (94.88%). The annual operation phase accounts for a significant portion of ecotoxicity (27.28%), while the end-of-life phase has a notable impact on carcinogenic emissions (24.65%).
| Date | 23 Apr 2025 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Louis Lamarche (Supervisor) |
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Escheikh, R. (Author),
Lamarche (Supervisor),
23 Apr 2025Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Engineering