UKRI awards £1m to pioneering geothermal feasibility pilot in which a borehole will be drilled to more than half a kilometre under the university campus
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded a public grant of £1m to the University of Aberdeen to explore the potential of using heat under the ground to warm the city. If successful, the ambitious Aberdeen Geothermal Feasibility Pilot (AGFP) could provide low-carbon heating – and save residents money.
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski / Unsplash
‘Geothermal’ simply means ‘Earth heat’, and refers to the heat that exists naturally in the ground. The aim is to use this as a clean, reliable source of warmth for homes and public buildings including hospitals and universities.
The AGFP stress that the project will not involve ‘fracking’; it will not involve fracturing rock, injecting fluids at high pressure or any attempt to find and draw out hydrocarbons to use as fuel. Instead, the project aims to use conventional, well-regulated scientific drilling techniques to measure temperature, geology and groundwater conditions. By better understanding how heat flows through the rocks under Aberdeen, the team can then advise on the best and safest ways to use this natural heat for the maximum benefit of people in the city.
The project will see the development of a new, three-dimensional map of the city’s subsurface features to a depth of 5km. Over a period of one to two months, more than 100 small seismic nodes buried in the ground will collect data on natural and man-made vibrations from such sources as waves, wind and traffic. This seismic ‘noise’ will be used to generate the map, showing granite and other structures, providing key insights into how the natural geothermal energy can be most effectively sourced.
With the money now in place for the first phase of the project, the team will now seek planning consent to drill an instrumented borehole to a depth of more than 500 metres on the King’s College campus of the university, in Old Aberdeen.
The AGFP team are now looking to secure funding for subsequent phases of the project. These will include re-assessing information on heat poverty in Aberdeen to establish where geothermal can contribute most effectively. The project will also seek to empower and equip communities to lead on decisions about heating and energy in their city, while developing skills and understanding of geothermal energy to support in the creation of jobs.
AGFP is supported by a range of partners including NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen Heat and Power, Robert Gordon University, Geosolutions Leeds at the University of Leeds, the British Geological Survey, TU Delft Netherlands, the National Geothermal Centre, the Net Zero Technology Centre and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, as well as experienced and skilled geothermal industry partners and individuals.
Clare Bond, Co-Lead of the AGFP project, says: ‘Desk studies have previously been carried out on Aberdeen’s geothermal potential. This project will be the first to provide the in-field geological data needed to help bring our initiative and others being considered across the city to reality. The borehole will provide direct subsurface temperature, geology and hydrology data and provide the startling point to test the potential for heat generated by granite at depth to be used to heat homes, the University and other buildings across the city.’
Dr David Cornwell, Co-Lead, adds: ‘Coupling borehole data with the city-wide model will reveal the true potential of geothermal heating in Aberdeen,” he said. “The data we collect will be openly available, not just helping de-risk future geothermal investment and accelerating Aberdeen’s transition to a sustainable energy future but providing data that can be used to predict the geothermal potential of other places across the UK.’
Professor Louise Heathwaite, Executive Chair of the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), says: ‘This innovative project will support the UK’s transition to clean energy. By combining geoscience research with real-world application, the Aberdeen Geothermal Feasibility Pilot has the potential to transform heating solutions in Aberdeen.
‘It could also provide a blueprint for geothermal potential in granite formations, that, with NERC’s UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS), will enhance geothermal development across the UK. NERC is pleased to support research that translates environmental science into tangible community benefits, particularly in addressing critical challenges like fuel poverty whilst advancing net zero ambitions.’
Professor John Underhill, Interdisciplinary Director for Energy Transition at Aberdeen University, adds: ‘The award demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary working – in this case connecting geoscience and engineering – to provide clean energy solutions. If the pilot is successful, there is the potential to roll the initiative out across the city and use ground sourced heat for district heating in schools and across the wider community to tackle fuel poverty. In so doing, the University will be true to its foundational purpose of being in the service others.’
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