UofG engineers set to help turn Scotland’s mines into low-carbon energy sources
Published: 11 August 2020
Researchers from the James Watt School of Engineering are lending their support to a bid to turn Scotland’s disused coal mines into sources of geothermal energy.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering are lending their support to a bid to turn Scotland’s disused coal mines into sources of geothermal energy.
The HotScot project, led by the University of Strathclyde, is one of 17 shortlisted submissions across the UK chosen by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund to develop a full-stage bid that could lead to significant economic growth.
The consortium behind the project will submit their bid to UKRI in late 2020, with four to eight of the strongest bids set to receive between £10m and £50m each to carry out their proposals.
If successful, the HotScot consortium will develop at least three new mine-water geothermal heating/cooling/thermal energy storage sites in the Central Belt.
The consortium will deliver research and development to de-risk the technologies and support Scottish industry to build such sites across the UK and globally.
The £21 million investment in these sites, in tandem with £16 million research and innovation activities, will demonstrate the commercial potential to private sector investors of low-cost, low-emissions heating, cooling and heat storage for communities and businesses.
Development of these sites would deliver economic growth equivalent to £303 million and around 9,800 jobs.
The University of Glasgow’s Rankine Chair of Energy Engineering, Professor Gioia Falcone, will lead the University’s contribution to the project.
Prof Falcone said: “Scotland’s mines represent a significant but untapped opportunity to generate clean energy for the nation. We’re pleased to be working with the HotScot consortium and hopeful that our bid for support from the Strength in Places fund will be successful.”
Academics from the University will work closely with partners in the consortium to lead the minewater site screening across Scotland’s Central Belt. Together, they will define and publish technical, commercial and socio-environmental screening criteria to rank and select between three and five candidate sites to be considered for use by HotScot.
The consortium is being led by Professor Zoe Shipton, Head of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and includes Heriot-Watt, Glasgow and Stirling universities, British Geological Survey, Community Energy Scotland, ENGIE, Envirocentre Ramboll, Scottish Enterprise, SSE Enterprise, Synaptec, Synergie Environ and TownRock Energy.
Heat trapped in 600 km3 of disused mine-workings in the Central Belt of Scotland could meet up to 8% of Scotland's domestic heating demand.
Professor Shipton said: “Scotland has an ambitious target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and a 75% reduction by 2030.
“Heat trapped in flooded coal mines represents a vast untapped low-carbon energy resource. The UK’s former coal mines are a £3 billion liability, but HotScot can demonstrate how these old mines could become an economic asset.
“Flooded coal mines contain water with little to no seasonal variation in temperature making them an ideal heat source for district heating networks to support low-carbon, affordable heating, cooling and heat storage for local communities and businesses.”
The main barriers to exploiting this energy is proving the resources and costs to investors. The HotScot consortium will develop at least three active geothermal sites and retrofit two more at different scales and with varying end-users.
All of the data the team generate will be publicly available through a portal run by the British Geological Survey as part of the UK Geoenergy Observatories project
The project has three core themes: Minimising technical, geological, environmental, societal risks; maximising socio-economic benefits; and engaging communities in their energy future.
Researchers will also engage with universities and colleges to develop graduate apprenticeships and new training programmes alongside industrial and local authority partners to fill the skills shortage in the sector.
Creative industry partners, Handiwork Games, Once Were Farmers, Screen Scotland and Timeslip media will produce engaging materials for school children and adults across multiple media platforms.
Related links
James Watt School of Engineering
First published: 11 August 2020
<< August