资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Two of the UK's leading scientific agencies have issued an open invitation to come to the Legacy Hub in Dalmarnock on 5 September 2017, when plans will be unveiled for an exciting new research development proposed for the Clyde Gateway area in the east end of Glasgow or neighbouring Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire.

The focus of the research at the Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site would be geothermal energy. It is one of two sites proposed in the £31 million UK Geoenergy Observatories Project led by NERC, the UK's main agency for funding environmental sciences, and the British Geological Survey(BGS), the UK's leading research centre in geoscience. This major project will provide infrastructure for future research opportunities and the second site would be based in England.

The UK Geoenergy Observatories project will establish new centres for research into the subsurface environment and provide opportunities to research how natural processes can control resource availability, and how natural resources can be used responsibly for present and future generations. The knowledge they generate will contribute to an understanding of new low-carbon energy technologies both in the UK and internationally. The capital project is NERC's response to the British government's announcement in the 2014 Autumn Statement that it would create world-class subsurface energy research test centres through NERC, operated by the British Geological Survey.

The Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site would be a £9 million project to explore the potential of geothermal energy for the benefit of local communities, as well as offering the opportunity for other areas of innovation and research into the subsurface. The project aims to create an opportunity for research in relation to the geothermal energy potential of the warm waters in the large expanse of disused coal mines under Glasgow. It may be possible to use that water for geothermal energy to heat homes and businesses.

The field site proposed for the Clyde Gateway area would comprise of a number of boreholes of various depths to create the opportunity to research the area's geology and underground water systems. Measurements would be taken from boreholes, such as temperature, water movement and water chemistry, and the data will be monitored and assessed in the coming years.

Professor John Ludden, Executive director of the British Geological Survey.

This has the potential to be a world-class research site attracting globally leading scientists and engineers, building on Glasgow's history as a trailblazing city of science. Realising the potential of geothermal energy in Clyde Gateway may create opportunities for the UK to lead the way in providing safe and sustainable energy for former mining communities around the world.

We are very keen to hear what the community think about this proposed project. Our scientists will be at the event to speak about the project and what this investment could mean for the community. And, of course, they will be there to answer any questions.

If you would like to find out more about the proposed Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site, join BGS at the Legacy Hub, Dalmarnock, Glasgow on 5 September 2017 from 14:00 to 20:00.

To find out more about the UK Geoenergy Observatories Project and environmental science that NERC funds, join us at the NERC showcase; 'UnEarthed. Explore the world at your feet'. The showcase will be a free event for all at the Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh from the 17-20 November 2017.

Further information

Cristina Chapman
UK Geoenergy Observatories Project Communications Manager
British Geological Survey
0115 936 3066
07970 229792
crisc@nerc.ac.uk

Notes

1. BGS, a component body of NERC, is the nation's principal supplier of objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and information for decision making for governmental, commercial and individual users. BGS maintains and develops the nation's understanding of its geology to improve policymaking, enhance national wealth and reduce risk. It also collaborates with the national and international scientific community in carrying out research in strategic areas, including energy and natural resources, our vulnerability to environmental change and hazards, and our general knowledge of the Earth system.

2. NERC is the UK's main agency for funding and managing world-class research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. It coordinates some of the world's most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, food security, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on Earth, and much more. NERC receives around £300 million a year from the government's science budget, which it uses to fund research and training in universities and its own research centres.