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Abstract: The use of groundwater for cooling and heating purposes is of interest from both the economical and the ecological perspective. The groundwater heat pump (GWHP) system utilizes groundwater as alternative renewable and clean energy source for space heating and/or cooling, withdraws water from a production well, passes it through a heat exchanger and discharges the water into an injection well. By utilizing the relatively stable temperature of groundwater, GWHP system can achieve a higher coefficient of performance. Due to the utilization of groundwater stored in the aquifer, the assessment of the hydraulic capacity of the aquifer based on numerical groundwater models is always needed for the optimum design and the efficient performance of GWHP. In this paper, numerical methods of underground heat-water transfer, energy balance method and thermal storage method were presented to calculate the capacity of unit area of shallow groundwater aquifer. The model results indicate that the numerical method, which is based on performance efficiency of GWHP, represents the behaviour of groundwater pumping/recharging processes, and serves better than energy balance method and thermal storage method, in addition it has been proven itself that this method has the advantages of energy saving and environmental protection. The calculated capacity is positively related to aquifer thickness. It is found that it is easy for ground water recharge in alluvial and pluvial fan located at the piedmont, while the calculated capacity is relatively smaller compared with that of south-east plain where it is not easy for groundwater recharge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Clean district heating systems are needed in large cities, especially in Northern China. This paper presents a low carbon district heating system that features a low return water temperature, use of low grade waste heat as the main heat source, long distance heat transmission with a large temperature difference, distributed peak heating load addition by natural gas and heat-power decoupling with heat pump and thermal storage. This Low carbon district heating 2025 system is suitable for large cities, large waste heat sources, high heating densities and the utilization of using existing large heating networks in almost all the cities of Northern China. These clean heating systems in Chinese cities have great potential to reduce energy use, reduce emissions and improve the district heating system economics. [Display omitted] • Low carbon district heating 2025 system is designed for large cities, large waste heat sources, high heating densities. • It describes a district heating system which uses low-grade thermal energy. • It features with a large temperature difference for heat transmission. • It solves heat-power decoupling with heat pump and thermal storage. • It reduces the energy consumption and emissions by 80% compared to coal boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]