 |
| Dr Charlotte Adams (center) receives the award. |
Research into the potential of using geothermal energy as a low-carbon heat source has helped a Durham University researcher win a prestigious national award.
Dr Charlotte Adams, an Assistant Professor in Durham’s department of earth sciences, has been named Energy Champion by the UK Energy Institute (EI).
Research by Dr Adams and her colleagues has found that water within former coal mines could provide enough geothermal energy to meet the UK’s demand for heat for more than 100 years.
She said: “Geothermal energy provides a real opportunity for the UK to develop a cleaner, low carbon energy source which will help to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and improve the country’s energy security.
“Geothermal could also bring economic and social improvements to regions that suffered following the abandonment of deep mining in the UK by tapping into the heat source that now exists in these former coalfields.
“It’s a tremendous honour to win this award from the UK Energy Institute as we seek to develop geothermal as a major source of heat for the next 100 years or more.”
