Geothermal pilot project inaugurated in Ramallah-news-104

Sep. 29, 2008 – On 17 August 2008, the first geothermal system in Palestine was presented at a conference in the Ramallah Grand Park Hotel. The conference was well attended by nearly 100 participants from the West Bank and through a life video-conference by about additional 50 participants in the Gaza Strip.The pilot project is located in Etihad Subdivision of the city of Ramallah in the West Bank. It is one unit in a complex of 62 “conventional” semi-detached villas built on an area of 24,000 m². The 390 m² demonstration villa includes three floors, a walk-out basement and a garage. The main elements of the energy concept for the building are good insulation of the basement floor, walls and windows and the use of geothermal energy. 10 vertical boreholes, each 70 meters deep, deliver enough energy to the 23 KW heating and cooling system (2 heat pumps) in order to reduce annual heating and cooling costs from 3,300 US$ to merely 850 US$ per year; which means energy cost savings of over 70%. With the high energy prices in Palestine, the pay-back period is less than 5 years.