Geological Survey Ireland launch new Dublin City Geothermal Working Group
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From: Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
- Published on: 11 October 2023
- Last updated on: 4 November 2023
Today, Geological Survey Ireland, a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, launched the Dublin City Geothermal Working Group at the National Geothermal Energy Summit in TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus. Chaired by Geological Survey Ireland, the new group will unite a diverse group of organisations with the common aim of decarbonising their heating and cooling systems, by delivering large geothermal demonstrator projects in the city centre.
The new working group has been welcomed by Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan.
He said:
"I am delighted to see the establishment of a geothermal working group for Dublin city. The joining together of these organisations, with the aim to demonstrate best practice in data collection, system design and efficient investment, will be an example to the rest of Ireland for the potential of geothermal to decarbonise our heating and cooling needs. During a previous visit to TU Dublin I learned about the potential of the heat beneath our feet in Dublin city and the potential it has for heating, or indeed cooling, the campus at Grangegorman, for example, and further afield, to the Trinity campus and facilities like the Mater or St James's Hospitals, and many housing developments in between. This is an exciting opportunity, which has a greater chance of fast development when expert groups join forces and work together."
Geothermal energy is energy stored in the form of heat beneath the surface of solid Earth. It can be stored heat from the sun, or heat from the Earth’s interior. It is not only renewable, it is also secure, reliable, and local. As geothermal equipment is mostly installed underground, geothermal projects also have smaller land footprints than other renewable technologies. It can be used for heating and cooling buildings and generating electricity. Research has shown that Ireland has untapped geothermal resources. Geothermal energy can play a significant role in our transition to a carbon neutral and circular economy; however, barriers to widespread uptake have been identified including: lack of deep subsurface information; lack of a robust legislative framework; lack of awareness of geothermal potential; and high upfront cost of large geothermal projects.
Over the past several years, Geological Survey Ireland has been engaging with large heat users in Dublin City, including large university and hospital campuses. These public sector organisations require a renewable source of energy that is secure, economical, and environmentally sound – for both new builds and the retrofit of existing buildings (some of historical significance). Given the urban locations of these campuses and small land footprints available, geothermal heat has been identified as the preferred and most viable renewable heating option. The progression to geothermal heating and cooling systems will not only reduce costs and ensure energy security, but will also significantly help in achieving Ireland’s 2050 emissions targets.
Subsurface data collection programmes will be required to de-risk large-scale geothermal projects in Dublin City; logistically these exercises will be complex and require cooperation between multiple organisations. Geological Survey Ireland host and maintain the National Geothermal Database, a critical component of the National Geothermal Strategy. As such, the Geological Survey is ideally positioned to chair this working group to assist with technical expertise, where possible, to make any collected data publicly available and to facilitate knowledge transfer between members and the general public.
The new working group consists of public sector experts in the areas of district heating, geothermal energy, procurement, and the financing, management and delivery of large infrastructure and energy projects. Some of the members have already completed successful geothermal installations, while others are at the more exploratory stage of geothermal development. The membership contains valuable expertise relevant to large-scale urban geothermal projects including representatives from:
- Geological Survey Ireland (part of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications)
- Codema
- Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
- Dublin City Council
- TU Dublin
- Grangegorman Development Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Mater Hospital
- St. James’ Hospital
- Health Service Executive (HSE)
- Carbon Energy Fund Ireland
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is taking steps to address the barriers to the uptake of geothermal energy. In July of this year, Minister Ryan published the Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy. The statement delivers on the Roadmap for Geothermal Energy published in November 2020 and is an action in the Climate Action Plan 2023.
The publication of the policy statement has raised awareness of the exciting potential of this renewable energy form and is an important step in addressing the barriers to the development of geothermal energy in Ireland. The policy statement, the development of a national geothermal strategy and geothermal opportunities in relation to district heating and the Just Transition will all be discussed at the National Geothermal Energy Summit today.
More information on Geological Survey Ireland’s Geothermal Programme can be found on the Geological Survey Ireland website.
Notes
Geothermal energy is the heat beneath the surface of solid earth. It can be stored heat from the sun, or heat from the Earth’s core. In general, the temperature of the earth (and the amount of available geothermal energy) increases with depth, at an estimated average rate of 25 - 30°C per kilometre in Ireland.
Advances in technology have led to the development of geothermal resources for heating and/or electricity production in places away from the volcanic regions where the heat is easily accessible (such as Iceland, Italy, New Zealand) to where the heat flow is not particularly elevated (such as France, Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany). Geothermal energy could be a viable, significant source of renewable energy in Ireland.
The Draft Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy follows the publication in November 2020 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, of 'An Assessment of Geothermal Energy for District Heating in Ireland' and 'Geothermal Energy in Ireland - A Roadmap for a Policy and Regulatory Framework'.
Geothermal energy is a commercially proven and renewable form of energy that can be used for heating, cooling, electricity production, or for both heat and power generation combined.
The geothermal potential of Ireland is not yet fully understood. This is because we don’t yet know enough about the deep subsurface and more research is needed. However, Irish geothermal energy resources could be used for a variety of purposes. The best way to extract and use geothermal energy will depend on the local geological setting and ultimate use for the energy.
Geological Survey Ireland, a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, has partnered with TU Dublin to explore the geothermal resource beneath Dublin city centre. In 2021, a temperature of 38° Celsius was measured in an exploratory borehole at a depth of 1 kilometre beneath the surface. Given that there should be a constant increase in temperature with increase in depth, this result indicates that the energy required for district heating, 80-90°C, may be located by drilling to depths of between 2 kilometres and 3 kilometres.