Scottish centre key player in ‘milestone’ to unlock the potential of renewable energy

A Scottish centre will play a key role in a new project to advance the decarbonisation of the UK’s future energy mix.

The Net Zero Technology (NZTC) centre has supported the launch of the UK’s first national centre for geothermal energy (NGC), which will help meet national energy targets.

By stimulating innovation, regulation and an investment framework, the centre will “unearth” geothermal energy and expand it “at speed and at scale,” Anne Murrel, NGC’s director, said.

As it is an “inexhaustible” source of clean power, geothermal energy is also the “foundation” of energy security in the UK, she claimed.

It is claimed, the geothermal sector could meet 10GW of the projected heating demand by 2050, create 50,000 jobs and cut 10 million tons of CO2 emissions every year.

Currently, the UK aims to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035, while Scotland aims for half of its of Scotland's total energy demand to be supplied by renewable sources by 2030.

In the longer term, Scotland aims to reach net zero by 2045, five years before the rest of the UK.

However, the Scottish Government recently announced it was scrapping its target to cut greenhouse emissions by 75 per cent by 2030.

The centre has also received funding from decarbonisation specialists SHIFT Geothermal, Durham University and The Reece Foundation - which works to increase education in STEM subjects.

Professor Jon Gluyas from Durham University said: "Geothermal energy is essentially inexhaustible, ultra-low carbon, its use has negligible environmental impact since surface facilities are typically small and unobtrusive, and it occurs everywhere in earth. 

“Harnessing the UK's resource will help us meet international carbon reduction targets, as we strive to make secure energy supplies and deliver our own destiny as an energy-independent nation. 

“Coupled with the use of wind, solar, other renewable, sustainable energies as well as carbon capture and storage technologies, geothermal energy will enable the UK to once again become world renown in energy and this time in sustainable green energy."