Feasibility for geothermal energy potential We were a partner in three of the four proposals funded by the Scottish Government’s Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund during 2015. The aim of this funding was to investigate how geothermal energy can be used to heat homes and businesses across Scotland. In Guardbridge, Fife, the proposal is to explore whether a hot sedimentary aquifer geothermal system can be developed in a cost-effective manner to provide heat for the Guardbridge low-carbon energy innovation centre and to the local community. At Hartwood, North Lanarkshire, the proposal, led by the James Hutton Research Institute, is to develop a fully operational mine-water-geothermal district heating system as a proof of concept with a view to replication across Scotland. At the Hill of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, the proposal is for a comprehensive desktop analysis to produce a robust model of the geology below Banchory, plus a detailed operational model to verify the compatibility of the existing Hill of Banchory biomass district heating network with a potential geothermal heat supply from the Hill of Fare granite pluton. Scottish Carboniferous Research Park (SCARP) The abandoned Spireslack surface coal mine, near the now-disappeared mining village of Glenbuck in East Ayrshire, provides unique exposures of Scottish Carboniferous geology. Perhaps an environmental threat for some, Spireslack can be turned into a learning asset for national good. There is a strong case for retaining such large-scale and superb geological sections that might otherwise be lost to future generations, along with their relevant digital social geological datasets and other industrial records. We are working with the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust (SMRT) together with a broad group of university collaborators, including Heriot-Watt, Keele, Strathclyde and Leeds, to unlock more of the secrets of Spireslack and make a digital subsurface accessible to all. The aim for the geoscience community will Annual science review 11 be to take advantage of this opportunity and develop the Scottish Carboniferous Research Park, or SCARP. This is an exciting opportunity to deliver an anthropogenically enhanced rock laboratory for university training and research, as well as for industry-led professional development. Held in trust for future generations, SCARP could provide a 3D laboratory and learning platform, combined with a rich visitor experience, especially if supported by and integrated with local community goals, and potentially as part of a new coal-themed UNESCO Global Geopark. COST SUB-URBAN Most of us in the UK, Europe, and now worldwide, live in cities An artesian public water supply borehole, Arran.
Annual Science Review 2015-2016
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