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Crazy idea: gas powered heat pump. Instead of just burning gas right into a heat exchanger as a furnace does, it burns it in an engine which turns the heat pump
by FriedPickles 3y ago
Crazy idea: gas powered heat pump. Instead of just burning gas right into a heat exchanger as a furnace does, it burns it in an engine which turns the heat pump compressor. The house receives all of the heat transferred by the pump as well as the exhaust heat.
It's essentially the same thing that would be happening if you had a grid burning natural gas for electricity powering an electric heat pump, only it all happens locally and the exhaust heat is utilized. It's also similar to a "micro combined heat and power" system, with the power going directly into a heat pump.
EDIT: just discovered there's a smarter/simpler way to make a gas-powered heat pump: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/absorption-heat-pumps https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/absorption-heat-pumps.
- cinntaile 3y agoThe point is to get away from gas, you do the opposite with a gas powered heat pump. Sure you'll have gas peakers for the foreseeable future but that's very different from a gas line into every home.
- m463 3y agoThe point is not to get away from gas. One point is to use energy efficiently. Cogeneration facilities convert gas to electricity fairly efficiently, and then a heat pump is several x more efficient than just burning the gas in your home. Also there is cost, which can be less with a heat pump.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 3y agoTax the pollution and let The Hand sort it out
- KptMarchewa 3y agoGrid scale CCGT are way more efficient than small gas heaters. And you don't have to do gas distribution. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle_power_plant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle_power_plant