Kathy’s background & she came to found Dandelion

Kathy founded Dandelion after spending several years at Google’s X Lab, where her role was to identify new opportunities for the lab to pursue, with a particular focus on climate-related prospects. During her tenure, she unexpectedly developed a strong interest in geothermal heat pumps due to their significant potential to align the interests of various stakeholders, save homeowners money, have a positive impact on the grid, and contribute to the decarbonization of buildings—a critical factor in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in certain regions. Initially, this project was under Kathy’s leadership at Google X but was eventually spun off into an independent startup.

What heat pumps are, how they work & why they’re important from a climate perspective

Heat pumps are electric devices that operate using a vapor compression refrigeration cycle to transfer heat from one location to another. They are more common and familiar than they may initially sound; for instance, refrigerators and air conditioners are both types of heat pumps. These devices contain a refrigerant and a compressor that facilitate the movement of heat, typically from the inside of a building to the outside. What sets the heat pumps we are discussing apart is their capability to reverse this process, allowing them to transfer heat from the outside environment into a building, even when the air is cold, as there is still heat present, albeit less than in warmer conditions.

One specific type of heat pump, known as an air source heat pump, can both cool a home by moving heat from inside to outside in the summer and warm it by moving heat from the outside air into the interior during the winter. On the other hand, the type of heat pump Kathy specializes in is called a ground source or geothermal heat pump. These terms refer to the same technology, which involves connecting the heat pump to the ground through plastic pipes buried beneath the yard. This underground connection maintains a relatively constant temperature of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. During the winter, it allows the heat pump to extract heat from this 50-degree environment to warm the home, while in the summer, it enables the rejection of heat into a cooler, mild underground environment, rather than dispersing it into hot outdoor air. This unique feature results in the high efficiency of geothermal heat pumps.

Although heat pump technology has been around for a long time, its adoption has been regionally concentrated, primarily in the southeastern United States. In contrast, other countries have widely embraced it. Decarbonizing heating in buildings is crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in regions where buildings are the leading source of emissions, surpassing even automobiles and agriculture. Within buildings, HVAC systems, including heating, cooling, and hot water, are the primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to heat pumps is particularly impactful because it not only addresses emissions from individual buildings but also impacts electricity demand. Air conditioners in the summer and heating loads in the winter drive peak electricity demand on the grid, which, when powered by fossil fuels, contributes to emissions. Thus, the decisions made regarding building decarbonization will play a significant role in the overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Resources Mentioned

• Dandelion Energy
• Generation: Sustainability Trends Report 2023
• Google X

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• Connect with Kathy on LinkedIn

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