Minewater heating and cooling: a 21st century resource for decarbonisation
With interest in geothermal heat recovery and storage increasing, the British Geological Survey alongside BEIS and IEA Geothermal held a mine water heating and cooling symposium to connect industry professionals from around the world.
20/04/2021 By BGS Press
The drive to decarbonise heating has resulted in investigations of abandoned flooded coal mines across the world as they offer potential for heat recovery, cooling and storage of heat.
On 10 and 11 March 2021 BGS, IEA Geothermal and BEIS organised a conference to share current research and lessons learned from both scientific projects and real life projects concerning minewater energy. IEA Geothermal were very pleased to be involved in assisting with this informative symposium, which quickly developed as an opportunity for the international community interested in minewater geothermal to connect. This free-to-attend conference had 500 registrants from 73 countries. Attendees used the Twitter hashtag #CleanEnergyFromTheCoalfields to join in the discussion, which is still in active use for those wanting to learn more and join our thriving global community.
500 people from 73 countries registered for the free event, with a mixture of academic, geological survey, environmental regulators, local authorities, government and consultants.
The conference
Day one
Brett Hagen (BEIS) launched day one of the conference by covering the policy and practice for low carbon heat networks in the UK.
David Banks (Holymoor Consultancy Ltd/University of Glasgow) discussed the risks, potential capital expenditure (CAPEX) uncertainties and made the call for integration of new (and existing) minewater treatment schemes with housing developments.
Gareth Farr (BGS) discussed recently released temperature maps of the British coalfields.
The session continued with discussion on practical issues including:
- opportunities in Newcastle and Gateshead (Jonathan Steven – Groundwater and Geothermal Services Ltd)
- thermo-mechanical modelling for heat/flow cycling in pillar and stall workings (Fiona Todd, University of Edinburgh)
- an overview of the Coal Authority’s approach to turning mine energy into a strategic asset for Britain (Bohdan Iwanskyj, The Coal Authority)
Day two
Steven Hayes (Hayes Tec Ltd) introduced day two with a talk on heat networks.
Florian Hahn (Fraunhofer IEG) talked about the Dennenbaum coal mine in Germany.
Mike Jenkins (Bridgend Council) gave a presentation on early stage feasibility and public engagement in south Wales.
Florian Hahn (Fraunhofer IEG) returned for part 2 of his excellent presentation covering testing at a demonstration site, including interesting heat injection tests.
Charlotte Adams (The Coal Authority) talked about smart systems for mine-energy schemes.
Alison Monaghan (BGS) concluded the event with a presentation on the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow.
There is obvious scope to link up geo-observatories across Europe to share lessons learned and to facilitate collaboration.
Q&A session
Hosting the conference via Zoom democratised the online Q&A session and we fielded over 130 questions. Regulation, CAPEX and customer acceptance were frequently mentioned, as was the desire to form a specialist interest group to continue creating opportunities for co-collaboration between policymakers, researchers, regulators and developers across the world.
Attendees were able to vote anonymously via three polls suggesting that minewater heating and cooling is a feasible solution for decarbonising heat (62 per cent), CAPEX is considered the biggest challenge for minewater heating schemes (27 per cent) and demonstration schemes complemented with scientific observatories are the best way to ‘de-risk’ the technology (86 per cent).
Results from three anonymous polls.
Results from three anonymous polls.
Results from three anonymous polls.
Due to the global interest in low-carbon mine-energy schemes, demand for this kind of conference, and a desire to continue talking and connecting with one another, we hope to plan a secondary event in the near future. If you would like to be involved then please email Gareth Farr.
Further reading
- Conference agenda
- Recordings of the presentations
- UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow
- The Coal Authority
- Heat Store Project
- D2Grids Project
About the authors
- Gareth Farr is a hydrogeologist who leads the BGS mine-energy topic
- Brian Carey is the IEA Geothermal executive secretary and is based in New Zealand
- Brett Hagen is the Heat Networks Specialist (HNDU) at BEIS
Relative topics
Latest blogs
Visit by Indonesian Embassy representatives to BGS
27/08/2024
Strengthening BGS/Indonesia scientific research partnerships to address the complex challenges Indonesia faces from natural hazards and maximising opportunities from mineral resources and geothermal energy.
Laboratory life: my work experience week at BGS
20/08/2024
Aspiring astrophysicist Riveen Pehesara Kumanayaka shares his experience following an A-level work placement with BGS.
Extracting formation temperatures from stalagmites
14/08/2024
BGS’s Andrew Smith explores the karstic depressions of northern Spain in the quest to create a palaeothermometer.
Responsible extraction in South America’s Lithium Triangle
02/08/2024
A BGS team visited Argentina and Chile to investigate how to extract lithium more responsibly in the face of growing worldwide demand.
The heat beneath our feet: BGS field visit to Tuscan geothermal systems
05/07/2024
BGS visits the active and fossilised geothermal systems of southern Tuscany, Italy.
Harnessing global collaboration: UK/Kenya partnership in soil erosion research
31/05/2024
Collaboration between scientists is vital in today’s interconnected world to further scientific progress. In environmental research, issues such as soil erosion demand collaboration on an international scale.
A-roaring display
16/05/2024
The dazzling and colourful aurora borealis, or northern lights, observed by many across the UK last weekend was one of the most extreme and long-lasting geomagnetic storms recorded in the last 155 years.
Building stones spotlight: the Sir Walter Scott Memorial 25 years after its conservation
29/04/2024
BGS geologist, Luis Albornoz-Parra, discusses the iconic Edinburgh monument, the building stones used in its construction and the result (so far) of its conservation efforts.
Unlocking key mineral archives at the Zambian Geological Survey Department
23/02/2024
Rachel Talbot recounts a recent visit by BGS Records staff to the Zambian Geological Survey Department, to assist in critical mineral data management.
Will 2024 be the Year of the Aurora?
23/02/2024
The Sun’s approximate eleven-year activity cycle is predicted to peak this year, prompting BGS scientists to anticipate that 2024 will be the ‘Year of the Aurora’.
Hungry like a wolf: new insights from old bones housed in the BGS museum collections
18/01/2024
BGS scientists are studying the diets of ancient British wolves and how they adapted to changing environments.
How BGS is helping the farming sector of Great Britain
17/01/2024
New legislation concerning soil management and technology in modern farming has led to an increase in enquiries about BGS’s Soil Parent Material Model.