Unlocking our geothermal potential: a Scottish Government visit to the Glasgow Observatory

The UK Geoenergy Observatories exist to enable research into the key questions that remain about minewater geothermal, from size and sustainability to environmental impacts. On 7 August 2024, Ms Gillian Martin MSP, the Scottish government’s Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, visited the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, where she learned about the role BGS plays in supporting understanding of geothermal potential, engaged in a comprehensive dialogue on geothermal opportunities in Scotland, and toured the observatory’s facilities.

Welcomed by Dr Alison Monaghan, head of BGS Geothermal, and Vanessa Starcher, science and operations lead for the observatory, Ms Martin had the opportunity to observe the observatory’s boreholes and heat centre. Their conversation highlighted the minimal surface footprint of geothermal infrastructure, the reliability of constant temperatures supplied by geothermal energy and the importance of open environmental monitoring data.

Research hub

The Glasgow Observatory is a hub for both academic and commercial research, supporting innovations in mine water heat and underground thermal storage. The extensive monitoring systems in place are revealing intriguing new insights on heat movement underground, enhancing our understanding of how to optimise minewater energy for heat decarbonisation.

The observatory’s facilities provide a unique platform for researchers and innovators to harness and expand upon these findings and there will be exciting opportunities in the near future to join a consortium to address the uncertainties associated with this energy source. This will build upon the successful project partnership that was completed in June 2024, which provided useful insights into topics including heat loss along pipework and different modelling scenarios for geothermal schemes.

White Paper

The discussions with Ms Martin extended beyond the observatory’s gates to broader considerations of the challenges and solutions related to the deployment of geothermal energy in the UK. The recent deep geothermal White Paper and evidence report, jointly authored by BGS and Arup, provided a basis for discussions on government incentives, the evidence for a fall in capital costs and drilling risk as more geothermal schemes are developed, and the impact of current relative costs of electricity.  

Wealth of opportunities

Scotland and the UK’s diverse geological landscape presents a wealth of opportunities for shallow and deep geothermal projects, using a range of proven technologies. The role of BGS in this energy transition is to provide underpinning, impartial, national datasets and information. Recent releases, such as the legacy geothermal catalogue and maps of deep geothermal potential areas, are just a few examples of BGS’s contributions to advancing geothermal energy in this country.

As we move towards a greener future, the insights and data gathered through the UK Geoenergy Observatories will be critical in supporting geothermal energy to become a key component of sustainable energy policy.

For those interested in utilising the observatory for research and innovation, please visit the Glasgow Observatory website.