Dandelion
Using geothermal energy to heat and cool homes more sustainably
Dandelion makes heating and cooling homes more affordable by harnessing the clean, free, abundant, and renewable energy source right under our feet: geothermal energy. While incubating at the moonshot factory, the team developed novel drilling technology that dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of installing geothermal systems. Today, Dandelion brings this underground resource to the surface, helping thousands of homeowners across the U.S. switch to geothermal energy.
Imagining a Cleaner Way to Heat and Cool Homes
In the U.S., buildings generate 39% of all carbon emissions, mostly from heating and cooling homes with fossil fuels.
In the Northeast of the US, heating and cooling is particularly carbon-intensive during the winter, when fuel oil and propane consumption is high. Homeowners using these conventional fuels feel the strain when fuel prices rise. The Dandelion team wanted to develop a new kind of technology that would allow homeowners to harness geothermal energy more easily and affordably than ever before.
Kathy Hannun, Project Lead for Dandelion
Tapping the Potential Beneath Our Feet
For thousands of years, humans have used thermal energy for temperature control. Wine and cheese have been stored in cool, underground cellars for centuries, taking advantage of the Earth’s consistent temperatures. A few feet below the surface, the temperature steadily remains between 50 to 60 degrees year round – warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer.
Geothermal systems to heat and cool homes have existed for a long time, but homeowners have been slow to adopt the technology because traditional installation methods are expensive, cumbersome and disruptive. Installation usually requires wide drills that dig deep into the ground – at depths of over 1,000 feet. These machines are oversized and inefficient for installing a system that only needs just a few, 4-inch diameter holes drilled a few hundred feet deep.
Additionally, traditional geothermal systems typically require a large up-front installation fee, deterring many consumers. The Dandelion team knew that making geothermal systems appealing meant finding a new, affordable approach. So they decided to design a better drill that could reduce the time, mess and hassle of installing these pipes, and ultimately lower the final cost for homeowners.
In the U.S., buildings account for 39% of all carbon emissions, with most emissions coming from heating and cooling homes with fossil fuels.
Digging Into the Problem
The Dandelion team began prototyping and testing all sorts of ideas, like modifying a jackhammer to burrow into the ground; freezing the ground with liquid nitrogen and chipping the soil away with a hammer; and even using a high-pressure water jet to obliterate the ground at rocket speeds.
After months of testing, the team developed a fast, slender drill that hit all of the critical objectives. It could drill just one or two deep holes just a few inches wide, and compared to typical installation rigs, this drill produced less waste and took up much less space while operating. It left a typical suburban backyard relatively undisturbed, minimizing landscaping costs for homeowners. Just as important, the prototype was fast. The team could install all the ground loops in less than a day, instead of the typical three or four days.
After two years of utilizing X’s prototyping techniques and labs to help develop the drilling technology, Dandelion graduated to become an independent company.
Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Heat is absorbed from the ground and sent to a heat pump. The pump boosts the heat and circulates warm air through the home.
The heat pump cools the home by removing heat from the air and redistributing it into the ground.
Dandelion Today
Thousands of homeowners and builders have now adopted Dandelion geothermal, which offers heat pumps and a low-cost installation across the U.S. By making geothermal heating and cooling systems simple and affordable, Dandelion is helping shift the built environment away from fossil fuels towards resilient, local, low-cost geothermal energy.
