Engineering sector news
Pioneering project to produce renewable energy ‘holy grail’
5/6/2009The Eden Project in Cornwall and EGS Energy have announced plans for the UK's first geothermal plant. If successful, the project could revolutionise energy production. EGS Energy and Eden believe the vast quantity of geothermal energy stored in the rocks below Cornwall could eventually provide up to 10% of the UK's entire electricity requirements.
Geothermal energy uses water heated deep underground and pumped back to the surface to drive a power station and produce carbon-neutral energy. Experts say that a Cornish plant is now commercially viable and point to the success of a site run by EGS Energy's sister company in Germany.
The plant at Eden would consist of a two-borehole system, both around 3-4km deep. Water would be circulated between the bottoms of the two wells, heated by the hot rocks deep underground and returned to the surface at approximately 150°C. There it would drive a binary turbine to create electricity.
A spokesman for EGS Energy said, "This could open up the holy grail of renewable energy – a secure, consistent carbon neutral source of both heat and power. The energy would be 100% controllable and on an industrial scale. Above all, compared to other clean technologies, it has a small footprint above ground."
EGS Energy and Eden will apply for planning permission and hope that the power plant will be producing power by 2012.
