Guardbridge Geothermal Potential

Thousands of pounds is being spent on assessing a potential new energy source in Guardbridge.

A total of £42,385 is being spent by the Scottish Government on a feasibility study into geothermal potential in the area.

It will explore the technical feasibility, economic viability and environmental sustainability of the untapped renewable source at a brownfield site in the town to see whether a plant can be established there.

The commitment at Guardbridge comes as St Andrews University is building a wood-fuelled biomass plant at the town's former paper mill.

It is part of an overall £234,025 spend in Scotland including sites in West Lothian, North Lanarkshire and Aberdeenshire.
 
The awards have been made from the Scottish Government’s Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund, supported by the Low Carbon Infrastructure Fund, the first strategic intervention established under the new European Structural Funds Programme. They are the first support for geothermal projects in Scotland following a 2012-2013 study which identified significant potential for geothermal heat as a renewable heat source.

'Important Step'
 
Heat is estimated to account for over half of Scotland’s total energy use and responsible for nearly half of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The projects are said to be an important step towards demonstrating how geothermal energy could cut the estimated £2.6 billion a year spent on heating.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said heat is estimated to account for over half of Scotland’s total energy use and is responsible for nearly half of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

"It makes sense that we explore and grow technologies such as geothermal energy. These projects will help improve our understanding of this renewable energy source and the contribution it can make to helping Scotland reduce its carbon emissions. He said
 
“The announcement of the geothermal feasibility projects follows the publication of the Heat Policy Statement (HPS) on Thursday, June 11. This is part of the wider approach to support the development of a resilient heat system that enables households, organisations and industry to transition to an affordable low carbon heat system and seize the economic opportunities that this transformation offers."

 
Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of the Geothermal Energy Expert Group, said the most recent research suggests that geothermal energy offers "a genuine opportunity" for Scotland to develop a new industry sector that will allow homes and businesses to reduce heating bills while generating a sustainable cut in Scotland’s carbon footprint.

He said "The technology still requires further development, but these five feasibility projects, which trial new ideas and build on more established techniques, are a vital step along the road to fully utilising this potentially extremely valuable resource.”
 
Stephanie Clark, Scottish Renewables, Policy Manager, said:
 
“To meet Scotland’s ambitious renewable heat target we will need to see geothermal projects, biomass boilers, solar thermal systems, heat pumps and other renewable technology become much more commonplace across the country.
 
“Our geothermal resource remains largely untapped, and we welcome developments which could see this green energy source harnessed to bring affordable warmth to Scotland’s homes and businesses.
 
“These five projects show the huge variety of potential uses for our underground heat. This is an industry at its early stages in the UK, but Scotland’s history of innovation and engineering excellence mean that if geothermal will succeed anywhere, it will succeed here.”