Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4231-510X
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis (Master's)
Department or Program
Engineering Sciences
First Advisor
Mary Albert
Abstract
Building heating in the Arctic is extremely energy intensive. The cold climate of northern Greenland requires heating year-round. Qaanaaq, the northernmost village in Greenland, has 10,128 average annual heating degree days, in Celsius. Current heating relies on fossil fuels, often from an oil boiler or from diesel-powered district heating. Amidst the global transition of energy supply and consumption to reduce the use of fossil fuels, electrically based heating via heat pumps is becoming an increasingly attractive option to heat buildings more efficiently. Several heat pumps are now designed for cold climates specifically. While studies have investigated the potential and performance of heat pumps in cold climates, no studies have investigated their feasibility in the extreme cold of northern Greenland. Qaanaaq sits on a fjord with year-round water temperatures of 0.5°C to 1.5°C. The ground has permafrost beginning 1m to 2.5m below the ground surface, and air temperatures reach -40°C in the winter. This thesis analyzes the feasibility of air source heat pumps (ASHPs), ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), and surface water heat pumps (SWHPs) based on four criteria: their overall efficiency compared to the efficiency of an oil boiler, cost, the total available energy in the energy source compared to the annual heat energy demand of a typical house, and power delivery capability compared to the peak hourly power demand of a typical house. Analysis finds that Coefficient of Performance (COP) values for ASHPs, GSHPs and SWHPs are likely near or below 3.1, the COP required for efficiency comparable to an oil heater. All sources can supply the energy and power necessary. However, the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) is higher than that from oil-based heating. While solar energy is readily available for half the year, the costs of installing a solar photovoltaic system for electricity would be larger than the savings derived from reduced use of oil for home heating, by approximately a factor of two. With current costs and subsidies, heat pumps powered from diesel-based or solar-based electricity are not economically competitive in the cold climate of far northern Greenland, and oil boilers remain a more cost-effective heating option.
Recommended Citation
Hutchinson, Sarah Torpie, "Cold Climate Heating Alternatives: A Feasibility Study for Heat Pumps in Far Northern Greenland" (2024). Dartmouth College Master’s Theses. 182.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/masters_theses/182
