The Committee on Climate Change stated that only decarbonisation of heating in the UK could deliver the major reduction in emissions needed to meet the 2050 net zero target.

Geothermal energy (the energy stored in the form of heat beneath the earth’s surface) provides a home-grown, nationally secure, low-carbon and green alternative to conventional heating and power generation. By unlocking natural geothermal energy, we are paving the way for a more sustainable future.

Geothermal energy, a type of renewable energy, is increasingly being used across the world with a number of towns and cities adopting it to provide heat and electricity to both significant users, such as large council buildings, warehouses and the general public through district heating systems.

The REA and ARUP publish a new report ‘Deep Geothermal Energy: Economic Decarbonisation Opportunities for the United Kingdom’. Endorsed by over 30 businesses, academics, NGOs and industry experts the report estmates that by delivering on average 12 heat projects per year over the next three decades, the UK could expect to generate up to 15,000 GW hours (GWh) of heat from geothermal, annually by 2050. 

Download here: Deep Geothermal Energy - Opportunities in the UK

How does it work?

The technology relies on the heat from the earth, a virtually infinite resource. It is permanently available and independent of the weather. It offers a widely applicable, affordable and constant baseload supply of heat (and power) plus the potential for significant inter-seasonal thermal storage for waste heat and cold.

Wells drilled into the rock intersect with hydrothermal reservoirs, and the superheated water brought to the surface runs turbines to create heat and/or electricity. The cooled water is then recycled back down into the aquifer via a second re-injection well.

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