Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are an established energy technology, and as such a noteworthy alternative to increase the share of renewable energy in the consumption. At present there are approximately 130 000 geoenergy systems in use in Finland, and in 2018 almost 8000 new GSHPs were sold and installed in the country. The growth rate highlights the significance of good installation practices and public governance of the installations.

So far there has been little research into either the construction practices and observed complications of ground heat exchangers (GHEs), or the permit procedures for geoenergy systems in Finland. Therefore, this thesis was designed to examine (1) the management of environmental and quality issues in the construction of GHEs in Finland; (2) the role of public regulation and governance, e.g. GHE permit systems, in promoting environmental protection and quality control of GHEs in Finland; and (3) ways to develop the capacities of both geoenergy practitioners and public authorities to respond effectively to the environmental and quality challenges.

The material for this thesis consisted of a questionnaire study among geoenergy practitioners, interview studies with geoenergy experts and municipal building control officials, heat pump statistics, legal texts, municipal regulations, and permit applications and decisions from municipalities and Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVIs).

The questionnaire study asked about the types of complications the practitioners had encountered in their geoenergy projects. The most common types were in order of frequency (1) borehole collapse, (2) discharge of artesian water, (3) harmful spreading of drilling dust and slurry, (4) heat exchanger pipes stuck during installation, (5) flooding caused by artesian water, and (6) heat transfer fluid leakages. Complications resulting from hydraulic connections between separate aquifers and other borehole-related issues were also reported.

Competition has been severe within the Finnish geoenergy sector in recent years. A large proportion of the questionnaire respondents referred to the consequent price competition at the expense of quality. Meanwhile, a third of the respondents expressed their concern about quality problems. At present, voluntary training is available for GSHP installers and borehole drillers in Finland, but there are no statutory qualification requirements. Additionally, there are no binding national regulations for the construction of GHEs and geoenergy systems in Finland either. In the questionnaire study, 62% of the respondents were of the opinion that the municipal Action Permit should require BHEs to be built following certain standards.

Public authorities may contribute to the quality control of geoenergy systems for example through permit procedures. In Finland there are two permit procedures for GHEs. The municipal Action Permit scheme is applied to almost all geoenergy systems. The Water Permit scheme is administered by the AVIs and it is applied to geoenergy systems on designated groundwater areas. Municipalities have diverse practices in promoting quality control throughout the Action Permit procedure. For example, they may have criteria for the location of the GHE, they possibly require a site manager to be nominated, and building inspectors may control certain details at inspections. The level of expertise varied among building control officials depending on their personal interests and experience. The same applied to the AVIs so that the reasoning in the Water Permit decisions was diversified.

As the number of operative geoenergy systems grows, the success and acceptability of the industry depend increasingly on the quality and environmental safety of installations. To promote these, national standards need to be developed for both the construction of GHEs and the Action Permit procedure. Qualification requirements for geoenergy practitioners need to be incorporated into these standards. Sector specific regulations are also needed to clarify the legislation in relation to the Water Permit scheme. Additionally, technical and geological instructions need to be developed to promote geologically sound reasoning in the handling of permits.