The heat pump at the highest altitude: geothermal air-conditioning at 3,600 metres

The educational institution Liceo Granaderos de Putre in the commune of Putre in Chile will be heated with geothermal energy through a project led by the Centro de Excelencia Geotérmica Los Andes (CEGA) and financed by the Regional Government of Arica and Panicota. The project is considered the highest altitude at which a geothermal heat pump has been installed: 3,600 metres above sea level.

The total investment of the project is 350 million Chilean pesos (378,760 euros), of which 326,200 are financed by the Regional Government of Arica and Parinacota, through the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness (FIC) 2022.

This will allow the installation of a vertical geothermal collector, with 8 wells of 70 metres deep each. Additionally, two geothermal heat pumps will be used to extend the heat distribution to all the rooms of the boarding school and to be able to have a hot water line in the sinks of the establishment’s casino.