Multiphysical assessment and monitoring of flooded underground coal mines for sustainable geothermal energy use

Multiphysical assessment and monitoring of flooded underground coal mines for sustainable geothermal energy use

The floodwater found within the UK’s abandoned coal mines provides a significant opportunity as a source for geothermal energy. Our project looks to combine laboratory experiments, field geophysical monitoring and multiphysical modelling applied to the Glasgow UKGEOS Geoenergy Observatory in order to explore the hydrological and environmental impact of geothermal exploitation, including groundwater-geothermal resource sustainability, environmental flows and river ecology. The project will bring together Geoscientists, Engineers and Social scientists with interests in Sustainability and Energy Transition from academia and industry including the Schools of Geosciences, Engineering, and the Centre for Energy Transition (Aberdeen), the BGS, Heriot-Watt University and the company TownRock-Energy.

Interdisciplinary Challenges