Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have been installing sensors throughout the city in a bid to create a 3D subsurface map, displaying the best areas for geothermal heating.
The network of 100 seismic nodes will record natural and man-made vibrations from waves, wind and traffic over the next 1-2 months to create a map of the granite and other subsurface structures to a depth of 5 km beneath the city.
The 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm in nodes, covered by a thin layer of soil, are being Installed across domestic and commercial properties, as well as local authority municipal areas, with the resulting data showing where geothermal heating will work best in Aberdeen.
Dr Amy Gilligan, researcher with the Aberdeen Geothermal Feasibility Pilot (AGFP), said:
This marks the beginning of an exciting stage of the project. By placing these small sensors in the ground, we can safely and quietly listen to natural vibrations and build a picture of the rocks deep below Aberdeen…What we learn will help us understand whether geothermal heat could one day provide a clean, local source of heating for homes and public buildings, reducing carbon emissions and support a more sustainable energy future for Aberdeen.”
The AGFP is an ambitious city-wide collaboration exploring Aberdeen’s geological potential and paving the way for low-carbon heating solutions. The project, funded through a £1 million public grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and led by the University of Aberdeen, will see an instrumented borehole drilled to a depth of over 500 metres subject to planning consent on the King’s College campus in Old Aberdeen.
This borehole will provide direct subsurface temperature, geology and hydrology data and provide the startling point to test the potential for heat generated by granite at depth to be used to heat homes, the University and other buildings across the city.
The data collected is being made openly available, so the project will be the first to provide the in-field geological data needed to help bring to reality the University’s ambitions and other geothermal initiatives being considered across the UK.
The pilot draws on expertise from the University of Aberdeen’s Estates & Facilities, Geosciences and Engineering Schools, the Centre for Energy Transition and the Just Transition Lab, supported by a broad consortium of collaborator and partner organisations including NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen Heat and Power, Robert Gordon University, Geosolutions Leeds at the University of Leeds, the British Geological Survey, TU Delft Netherlands, the National Geothermal Centre, the Net Zero Technology Centre and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, alongside geothermal industry partners.
