United Kingdom: Government Funds Three Geothermal Projects

In a second round of funding through its Deep Geothermal Challenge Fund the United Kingdom government has awarded a total of £$1.1 million to three geothermal projects.

Three universities and an energy company will receive funds for their "heat-only" geothermal projects.

• Keele University will receive £500,000 to drill a 1200m borehole to provide geothermal heat for their proposed sustainable campus.
   
• In a joint project Newcastle University and Durham University will receive £400,000 to fund the drilling, hydraulic testing and geophysical logging of a 2km deep borehole at ‘Science Central’, a large development in central Newcastle.
   
• To part fund the refit of the Southampton deep geothermal well, Cofely District Energy Limited, will receive £200,000.

The Deep Geothermal Challenge Fund, which was established to help companies find viable sites for geothermal technology and encourage further development and advancement for tapping the UK's geothermal potential, was cut in half in 2010.

In its first round of funding, which focused on deep geothermal power generation, two Cornwall projects were collectively awarded £$4 million.  Even with the cuts the government continues to move forward in its support of geothermal exploration as it seeks clean and renewable energy alternatives.

“I want to ensure that geothermal energy – which is both renewable and can be produced locally – can become one of the energy technologies of the future,” said Climate Change Minister Greg Barker.

Read the full article at Business Green: Geothermal projects share £$1.1m prize.

Image Credit: Frankie and Windra via Flickr.