UK sees milestone step in geothermal development
Pernzance, Cornwall, UK - not related to story (source: flickr/ The Brit_2, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
27 Jun 2010
A geothermal district heating project by Newcastle University has just finished a twin borehole central heating system, which could help further development for EGS projects in the country.
“A landmark project to investigate the potential of a new source of renewable energy took a leap forward on Wednesday with the pumping out of hot water from 1,000 metres underground.”, so an article in the Financial Times.
“Naturally occurring low-level radiation in the “hot rocks” deep underground in Upper Weardale, County Durham, in north-east England heats the water that flows through the granite.
Assisted by a GBP460,000 (US$703,000) grant from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Newcastle University scientists have created a giant twin borehole central heating system, so the hot water can be raised up from 1,000m down, passed through a heat exchanger and then reinjected, via a second borehole, back in to the rocks 420m down.”
This is indeed a development that should help further efforts to develop EGS projects, as currently planned in Cornwall, UK.
For the full article see link below.
Source: Financial Times
