Charlotte Fernández
UKIMEA Press Office,Leeds
Arup and its project partners, Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) and St. Andrews University, have been awarded funding by the Scottish Government to investigate the feasibility of implementing ground-breaking Deep Geothermal Single Well (DGSW) technology at the proposed Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC).
The Scottish Government established the £250k ‘Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund’ as part of its commitment to support research into Scotland’s geothermal capacity. The challenge fund attracted a number of applications from consortia drawn from academia and industry and the award of funding to the GEL/Arup team strengthens their combined geothermal presence in Scotland.
The project team, led by GEL, will undertake a techno-economic assessment of a DGSW installation at the new AECC development site. The aim of the study is to present a coherent case to move forward with the drilling and installation of a 2km DGSW to provide renewable heat to the development.
The DGSW technology was successfully tested in 2014 by GEL at an existing deep well in England as part of a DECC funded project and shown to achieve significant carbon savings. The project team consider that the DGSW technology at AECC offers the single best opportunity to demonstrate the potential of deep geothermal energy in Scotland. The location of this project in Aberdeen will also demonstrate the synergies between the oil and gas industry and this exciting renewable technology.
“We are excited to be working with the Scottish Government to start delivering sustainable heat from the deep geothermal resource. The AECC site is an excellent opportunity to showcase both our new DGSW technology and to show how Scotland can use its existing oil and gas skill sets to deliver renewable energy projects. Working with Arup will help to ensure that we deliver the first of many DGSW projects in Scotland. Dr Ryan Law, Managing Director, Geothermal Engineering Ltd.
“It is great to see the Scottish Government supporting innovative geothermal energy solutions. It is smart, close to zero carbon, sustainable, local and economical – that is a nice combination. Dr Matthew Free, Director, Arup
“As set out in the Heat Policy Statement published last week, heat is estimated to account for over half of Scotland’s total energy use and is responsible for nearly half of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, so it makes sense that we explore and grow technologies such as geothermal energy. These projects will help improve our understanding of this renewable energy source and the contribution it can make to helping Scotland reduce its carbon emissions. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing