Coal Authority and Ordnance Survey Lead Revolutionary Project
Introduction: Exploring Mine Water Heat Potential
In a groundbreaking initiative, the Coal Authority and Ordnance Survey are collaborating to explore the potential of mine water heat as a sustainable energy source across Great Britain’s coalfields. Furthermore, this project aims to support former mining communities by tapping into low-carbon heat sources in disused coal mines, potentially revolutionizing the way we think about heating and cooling. This innovative partnership signifies a significant step towards sustainable energy solutions in historically coal-dependent regions.
Mapping Heating Demand Across Coalfields
Supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Geospatial Commission, the project assesses the types of buildings and heating demands in coalfield areas. Additionally, this involves leveraging geospatial support and data from Great Britain’s national mapping service, Ordnance Survey (OS).
Consequently, the goal is to identify how many homes, businesses, and buildings could benefit from mine water heat. This collaborative effort is crucial in establishing a comprehensive understanding of the potential impact of mine water heat on various sectors.
The Promise of Mine Water Heat Technology
Mine water heat, a proven technology, offers a sustainable, secure, and low-carbon heating resource. It works by extracting warm water from flooded mine workings, which is then heated further through heat exchangers and pumps. This process can significantly boost the efficiency of heating buildings, contributing to the UK’s net zero targets by 2050.
Initial Findings: A Broad Scope for Impact
Preliminary results indicate that over 6 million homes and 300,000 offices and businesses sit above abandoned coal mines. While it’s early to determine the exact number of beneficiaries, these findings open avenues for discussions with local authorities and developers on decarbonizing heating supplies.
Demonstrated Success: The Gateshead Scheme
In Gateshead, a mine water heating scheme has already successfully supplied heat to 350 homes and various buildings, including council offices and an arts centre. Moreover, this scheme showcases the practical application of mine water heat in the UK and its potential impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Priority Areas for Innovation
With over 60 local authorities in England, Scotland, and Wales containing recorded mine workings and classified as Priority 1 Levelling Up areas, mine water heat presents an opportunity for innovation in these regions, advancing the journey toward net zero. Additionally, it offers a unique chance for sustainable development.
Industry Leaders on this Sustainable Energy Source
John Kimmance from OS highlights the importance of supporting low-carbon heat projects and the role of location data in driving sustainability.
With so much emphasis around climate change and finding a means for a sustainable future, it is really important for OS to be able to support a low-carbon heat project like this.
Our data has been used to support the effective mapping of heating and cooling demand across the coal workings areas, providing a way to quickly understand and analyse the distribution of infrastructure and development and seeing which areas could benefit most from the initiative. This project has reinforced the critical role that location data plays in supporting sustainability projects and highlights how we can drive change for the future.
Furthermore, Richard Bond from the Coal Authority said,
We are delighted to have worked with OS, which has been so helpful in identifying which areas would benefit the most from this secure, low carbon mine water heat initiative.
We know from schemes, such as the recently commissioned Gateshead mine heat network, that this works in the UK. The wider associated benefits of low carbon heat, levelling up, green jobs and energy security will be very positive for Great Britain in many ways.
Location data is fundamental to addressing some of the biggest challenges we face. Thanks to OS we have maximised our use of their data, paving the way for local authorities and organisations to consider mine water heat as part of their low carbon aspirations more easily. Our hope is that this will ultimately benefit the environment and the lives of thousands of people across Great Britain.
The Role of Geospatial Data
The success of this project hinges on the use of authoritative data provided by OS, facilitated by the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement. Furthermore, this data is critical in identifying which areas would most benefit from mine water heat, paving the way for local authorities and organizations to consider it in their low-carbon strategies.
Additionally, this data-driven approach ensures that resources are directed toward areas with the greatest potential for sustainable heat solutions. Consequently, geospatial data plays a pivotal role in the project’s success and broader sustainability efforts.
Viewing the Data: Interactive Map Viewer
The data from this project is available on the mine water heat tab of the Coal Authority interactive map viewer, providing a transparent and accessible resource for understanding the potential of mine water heat across Great Britain.
Sources: THX News & Coal Authority.