Geothermal Energy Now Powering UK Homes

The UK's first geothermal power plant is now operational, providing a completely new type of renewable electricity using hot water from underground.

Credit: GEL

Located in Cornwall, south west England, the new facility has the deepest on-shore well in the country and the water, super-heated by rocks, will help drive turbines to generate electricity for 10,000 homes. The British Geological Survey said it was a "major step forward."

The Earth generates heat which can be harnessed by drilling down below the surface to provide a renewable, and continuous source of energy to heat and power our homes - known as geothermal energy. The deeper you go the hotter it gets. At shallow depths the heat is enough to warm homes and businesses. Shallow depths are suitable for ground source heat pumps (such as those used in a new high-rise in Brooklyn), but this Cornish project has drilled to far greater depths - three miles below the surface - where temperatures climb to nearly 200C, and this is enough heat to generate electricity.

This is the first time the feat has been achieved in the UK because drilling this far down is technically difficult and an expensive endeavour. This project by Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) has cost £50m to date, funded through private investors and the EU.

GEL's CEO told BBC News that geothermal power is "really important" for the UK because there are no price fluctuations like with gas. "And unlike other renewable sources like wind and solar we are constantly on, 24/7 electricity."

"This project is a genuine game-changer. For the first time, we're tapping into 'always-on' green power in the UK, providing a steady stream of clean, home-grown energy."

Generating electricity from geothermal - known as deep geothermal - is also technically feasible in Scotland and the Northeast of England. "We have a great energy resource, underneath our feet in the UK, but we're not maximising its potential," said Anne Murrell, head of industry body Geothermal UK.

A new report says that “geothermal is now positioned to scale” and that geothermal energy could replace 42 percent of Europe's fossil electricity, at prices comparable to coal and gas.