(Left to right) NHS Grampian’s energy manager, Michael Black, David Townsend, Michael van Mourik and Phil Townsend from TownRock Energy.
The desktop study is looking at whether local sites could provide a viable spot for one or more boreholes to harness naturally occurring sustainable energy from the rock thousands of metres underground. It could work in a similar way to the Eden Project’s heating system, where a hole just 25 cm wide delivers heat to one of the world’s largest indoor rainforests. Geothermal energy has the potential to support not only health care facilities in Aberdeen but other public buildings too.
“It’s estimated there’s enough untapped deep geothermal energy to heat the whole of the UK, and we’re hoping to provide a leading example here in Aberdeen,” explains Alan Wilson, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at NHS Grampian.
“This study is the very first step in what would be a long journey, but it could help us make progress towards becoming a Net Zero organisation. We’re very pleased to be working alongside TownRock Energy on this, and we are working to change the way we use NHS buildings and land more widely. Curbing emissions and supporting biodiversity ultimately supports public health by delivering less pollution, cleaner air, and cleaner water.”
TownRock Energy CEO David Townsend added: The sites we’re exploring have been identified as potentially having the right geology for deep geothermal heat and power. This feasibility study is enabling us to look at that in more depth and build a business case with NHS Grampian for wider development. We’re considering whether the geothermal wells would have to go 2 km, 3 km or 5 km down.”
“When people hear the word geothermal, they often think about active volcanic and tectonic areas, like Iceland or Italy, where hot rocks have been producing power for over a hundred years. But recent advances in engineering mean that lower temperature resources in geologically stable regions are now usable. It’s hoped that this could be the case for Aberdeen.”
