Ourense University Campus – Hybrid, geothermal and aerothermal installation

Based on an energy audit commissioned by the promoter of the works on the Ferro building, it was concluded that the existing HVAC system was outdated, not presenting the required level of comfort or energy efficiency, therefore, this project aims to describe, calculate and design a new renewable hybrid thermal installation for the HVAC of the Ferro building, on the North Campus of the University of Vigo in the city of Ourense, which covers much of the energy demands of the building.

The old HVAC of the building used 2 diesel boilers of 535 kW/unit for the production of heating, 7 air conditioners to serve the entire building with direct expansion and 2 chillers of 332 kW. This previous installation will not be modified in any way, remaining only with the function of supporting the new hybrid renewable installation at times of peak demand, with all the advantages that this entails both in terms of energy efficiency and the environment.

It was therefore proposed to implement a thermal generation system consisting of 5 units of ecoGEO 25-100 kW geothermal heat pump (Ecoforest) to supply the demand of 86.7 kW/unit in heating mode (which is the main demand of the building), whose hybrid collection system will have 36 geothermal boreholes 140 m deep located in the immediate vicinity of the building, as well as 3 outdoor aerothermal units (“Dry Coolers”), capable of providing 36.7 kW/pc in heating mode located on the rooftop of the building.

The new generation system will be connected to the emitter circuits currently in use, which is based on the use of the existing air conditioning.

This system is intended to achieve energy savings of 701,045 kWh/year and avoid the emission of 223.27 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 11,603 trees.

Responsible for the implementation of the geothermal installation

The applicant for this project is the University of Vigo, with address at Lagoas s/n, Campus Universitario, in Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Pontevedra.

The undersigned designer of this project is David Novoa Rodríguez. The works for the replacement of the air conditioning have been carried out by Energanova Soluciones S.L.

Location of the installarion

The location of the facilities is in Rúa Doutor Temes Fernández 1, within the urban area of the city of Ourense. The Ferro building houses the Faculty of Education Sciences and the Faculty of History, which belong to the North Campus of the University of Vigo.

The surface area of the plot according to the land registry is 31,935 m2, with a built surface area of 11,024 m².