(and it’s not California) CaliforniaGeo 6-12-17 [On April 19-20, 2017, the New York Geothermal Energy Organization held a conference in Albany, the state’s capital.  It was titled “Helping New York Meet Its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Goals.”  This state has built momentum that few others can claim.] Final attendance figures have not been published, but the […]

Heat Pump History by Bill Holladay From Engineering & Science Monthly (October, 1948) Take a look at mechanical history! We celebrate GHPs (geothermal heat pumps) as the most efficient thermal transfer equipment known.  But the grandfathers of GHPs go back to primitive compressor experiments prior to 1900 by VonRittenger.  In this Engineering & Science Monthly […]

CaliforniaGeo 4-13–17 [On November 21, 2014, Don Penn, President of Image Engineering Group in Grapevine, TX made a presentation to the annual conference of the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) regarding 10 myths held by the public regarding geothermal heat pumps.  This blog entry deals with a selection of five of those 10.] […]

Is slashing the EPA budget an act of shooting yourself in the foot? Sacramento Bee 3-20-17 “Don’t slash the EPA’s budget What if ISIS was responsible for the flooding that damaged or destroyed 40,000 homes in Louisiana in 2016? What if al-Qaida was responsible for the California foothills forest fires that destroyed thousands of homes […]

CaliforniaGeo 3-17-17   Like most consumers, it pains me to admit that I got fooled by the world’s largest automaker after lots of research and comparisons.  So we had to wonder about a VW Buy-Back for our 2015 Passat TDI.  Ultimately, it was better to take the emissions buy-back than to risk a de-valued trade-in, a private […]

CaliforniaGeo 3-2–17 As what may become known as the “greenest” large retailer in the nation, IKEA  has hit a new mark for sustainability with its Centennial, Colorado store, south of Denver.  This store has two levels of underground parking, two levels of retail space, two restaurants with total  seating for 550, and contains 415,000 square […]

CaliforniaGeo 2-17-17 Commercial wind turbines evolve- While commercial wind turbines of 30 Kilowatts (KW) output were turning at Tehachapi Pass in California in 1981, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy completed the first megawatt-scale wind farm in the nation at Goodnoe Hills, Washington.  That wind farm contained three two-blade turbine units, each capable of […]

CaliforniaGeo 2-6-17 Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times printed a feature article written by Ivan Penn and Ryan Menezes that called into question the state Public Utility Commission’s continuing approval for electrical power generating stations that push capacity well beyond regulatory requirements.  This excess costs California Consumers billions of dollars.   Why Is This? A clear […]

CaliforniaGeo 1-31-17 This week, it was announced that General Motors and Honda Motor Company have formed a joint venture to build fuel cell battery packs and market cars carrying them under both companies’ brands.  Fuel cells run on gaseous hydrogen, and this is widely thought of as a major shift away from fossil fuels in […]

CaliforniaGeo 12-17-16 If you’re concerned with winter heating where you live, it might be helpful to know there’s a free, carbonless, renewable heat source under your feet.  That’s right.  When paired with heat pump compressor technology (well over 50 years old) you can concentrate low-grade heat from under the earth and deliver it inside your […]