UK Climate Minister keen to boost incentives for geothermal in the UK
Southampton Geothermal District Heating Plant, UK (source: dekb.co.uk)
Alexander Richter
18 Mar 2011
The UK Climate Minister puts up the hopes for a boost to incentives for deep geothermal projects in the UK that could help the projects currently planned in the UK.
According to recent news from the UK, the country’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) “has confirmed it is planning to publish a report int he next few weeks by consultancy Arup, examining the costs and deployment potential of every technology for the Renewables Obligation (RO) subsidy mechanism. The findings will feed into a fast-track consultation due to be launched in July, which will determine new banding levels for the RO from 2013.”
The article further says that this brings up hopes that the report, which people how will “detail levels of financial support available to large-scale renewable energy projects from 2013 will include plans to boost incentives for deep geothermal energy projects.”
“Deep geothermal energy is an exciting renewable energy source with considerable unexploited potential,” says Greg Barker, the UK Climate Minister. “We are currently reviewing the support given to all renewables technologies under the RO, including geothermal.”
“There is currently just one deep geothermal power plant operating in the UK, through the Southampton Geothermal District Heating Scheme. However, DECC’s 2050 Pathways Analysis has predicted geothermal energy could potentially generate 35TWh, or 10 per cent of current annual electricity demand; two per cent of which could come from the South West of England.”
Source: BusinessGreen
