Geothermal Air-Conditioning in Classrooms

GEO Power System Inc. (headquartered in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), a company specializing in developing houses that can use geothermal energy, is now engaged in the introduction of a geothermal ventilation system it calls the "GEO Power System" into public elementary and junior high schools in Fukuoka Prefecture. These schools are certified as "eco schools" (environmentally-oriented schools that demonstrate ecological techniques such as solar power generation, solar energy utilization, tree planting, energy conservation and resource saving) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

The patented construction method is a highly efficient and high-performance ventilation system to harness geothermal energy, a clean natural energy which is stable throughout the year. Unlike other conventional geothermal ventilation methods, in this method an aluminum pipe is buried at a depth of up to five meters underground. The method is characterized by a double-pipe structure in which a thin pipe is fitted inside an outer pipe. In summer, cool air (14 to 16 degrees Celsius) is taken in while in winter, warm air (16 to 18 degrees) is taken into the pipe. The air in the pipe is then circulated inside the building, making it possible to substantially reduce the cost of air-conditioning. According to GEO Power System Inc., the system also has health benefits, as the health of occupants will not be injured by excessive air-conditioning, and the innate human body functions that regulate temperature will be improved.

The first stage of installation work is expected to be completed in March 2003. The geothermal ventilation system has already been introduced to a private university, a large kindergarten and a community center in Fukuoka Prefecture, but this is the first time that the system is introduced in public schools.

In summer of the year 2002 the Japanese government came up with a new policy to install air-conditioners in 300,000 classrooms at public schools, out of fear that higher urban temperatures due to the heat island effect (abnormal warming of the urban atmosphere due to the high concentration of heat-absorbing buildings and roads, and lack of greenery) would lower children's academic achievements. The Energy Conservation Center of Japan estimates that the air-conditioning of 300,000 classrooms, would result in over 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, the utilization of geothermal energy is seen as a promising means to promote the use of renewable energy that will not cause global warming.