Friday, February 23, 2018

United Kingdom: Scottish Geoenergy Observatory Will Research Geothermal Energy

UK Geoenergy Observatories (British Geological Survey)

The UK Geoenergy Observatories project was formerly known as the Energy Security and Innovation Observing System for the Subsurface (ESIOS).

The UK Geoenergy Observatories project will establish new centres for world-leading research into the subsurface environment. The knowledge they generate will contribute to the responsible development of new energy technologies both in the UK and internationally.

The BGS has worked with the wider geoscience community to identify two preferred geological locations. The first research field site will be in the Thornton area (Cheshire) and will focus on shale gas and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The second research field site will be in Glasgow, Scotland and will focus on geothermal energy.

According to a blog by the Geological Society of London, Geothermal energy may be a sustainable and scalable heat source. But we need to understand more about heat transfer, subsurface chemistry, biology and water movement to find out whether we can scale up geothermal energy safely and sustainably.