YAMAGUCHI, Japan — Geo Power System Co. Ltd. announced that it is looking for business partners to market its patented geothermal heating and cooling system in the United States.

“With concern over global warming and the depletion of resources rising rapidly, people are scrambling for ways to address environmental issues,” said Toko Hashimoto, Geo Power System inventor and company chairperson. “Buildings account for a major portion of our energy and resource consumption, but also offer relatively economical and effective means of making improvements. The Geo Power System has helped to open the green building market in Japan. I invite developers and others in the building industry in the U.S. to consider its potential.”

The Geo Power System is a geothermal HVAC system that uses the earth’s nearly constant underground temperature to passively warm or cool air for residential and commercial uses. According to Hashimoto, benefits of the system include lower heating and cooling bills; controlled fresh air intake, circulation, and ventilation; air purification; and humidity control, plus reduced CO2 emissions.

According to the company, as of 2008 the system has been installed in more than 800 houses and more than 70 schools, commercial properties including factories, and other low story buildings in Japan. It was included in a Japanese government pavilion showcasing innovative environmental technology at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. Aeon Co. Ltd., operator of Japan’s largest shopping centers, installed the system in two of its “eco stores” in 2008.

Among its awards, the Geo Power System won the Good Design Award presented by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization. It was included in the Japanesque Modern collection of distinctive products selected by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as exhibiting the union of Japanese culture, design, and aesthetics with advanced technology.

After establishing a track record at home, the company is now looking to expand abroad. It is inviting American companies to license its technology for distribution in the United States. Under the company’s business model, licensees will be free to promote, market, and install the system directly and sublicense the product to their network of installers. Proprietary components of the system will initially be shipped from Japan, but the company expects to arrange local production in the U.S. in the future to supply American dealers.

For more information, visit www.geo-power.co.jp/en.

Publication date: 04/27/2009