- The Living Laboratory project marks a milestone in sustainable heat research
- The set will enable the study of thermal and hydrogeological behaviour between multiple mine water heat schemes
- It will help advance the UK’s journey towards net zero
The Living Laboratory, an initiative designed to expand the potential of mine water heat technology and advance the UK’s journey towards net zero has been launched in Gatehead by the Mining Remediation Authority, part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The project marks a milestone in sustainable heat research, according to the Authority, offering the only location in the world where thermal and hydrogeological behaviour can be studied between operational mine water heat schemes. It’s also situated in the vicinity of three mine water heat schemes.
Among these three is the Gateshead Energy Company’s mine water heat network, which is the largest of its kind in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, and another privately-funded pioneering scheme nearby at Lanchester wine warehouses.
The set will enable the study of thermal and hydrogeological behaviour between multiple mine water heat schemes with the Walker mining block in Tyne and Wear.
The data generated from the study will complement research underway at the mine water energy observatory developed in Glasgow by the British Geological Survey and will provide open-access data that will support future decisions on permitting and mine heat access agreements.
Dr Fiona Todd, geoscientist, Mining Remediation Authority, said that the Living Laboratory would “provide invaluable insights into the behaviour of mine water heat systems and help us understand how multiple schemes co-exist within the same region”.
“This research is crucial for maximising the opportunity presented by mine water heat and supporting its development as a reliable, low-carbon heat source across the UK,” she stated.
