Practical approaches for implementation of energy piles in Iran based on the lessons learned from the developed countries experiences

Abstract Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) have been installed all around the world to harvest shallow geothermal energy for heating and cooling building envelopes. However, the high initial cost of these systems (e.g., drilling and installation costs) limits the popularity and total usage of GSHPs around the world. To reduce the initial cost of these systems, geothermal heat exchangers are combined with structural components of the building, such as deep foundations, or energy walls. Energy piles or thermo-active foundations that serve dual purposes have been widely utilized in the last two decades in many developed countries. However, in most of the developing countries like Iran, there are several critical impediments to install these systems to harvest shallow geothermal energy. This study aims to propose practical suggestions to increase the rate of energy piles installation as an alternative environmentally friendly energy system to heat and cool residential and commercial buildings in Iran by I) summarizing the lessons learned from energy piles projects in different countries, II) providing crucial information regarding design, construction, and implementation of energy piles to prepare a design code based on Iran's economic and environmental condition, III) reporting disadvantages of energy piles to determine challenges for engineers to find a solution for minimizing these issues, and IV) proposing key impediments in the way of implementation of energy piles in Iran and providing some practical suggestions to tackle these impediments.