This year's Northern Geotechnical Group Seminar will discuss energy geotechnics. With five presentations from industry experts and a look at this year's Young Engineers Geotechnical Poster Competition entrants, this seminar is not one to be missed.
The Future of Geoenergy: a Perspective – Prof Jon Gluyas, Durham University
Energy from Earth resources (geoenergy) in the form of coal, oil and gas has fueled global society since the Industrial Revolution began. Amongst the consequences of fueling society and associated population growth, is climate change, driven by the emission of greenhouse gases liberated through unabated combustion of fossil fuels.
There is much more to Earth energy systems though than just coal oil and gas. The Earth contains, in human terms, an unlimited supply of accessible heat and pressure (differences) as well as copious quantities of storage space, non-hydrocarbon gases and valuable solutes. These resources can be targeted to provide sustainable energy sources with low to zero carbon footprints.
This talk will highlight that, when considering geoenergy, society needs to look at the whole system which combines chemical, thermal, potential, kinetic, gravitational, and other energy forms that could be used from individual developments to minimize waste, maximize efficiency and reduce unwanted impacts.
Underground Hydrogen Storage in the East Coast Cluster – Dr Tim Armitage, British Geological Survey
Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier that may be used to decarbonise heavy industry and act as a long duration energy storage medium, balancing interseasonal demand with intermittent renewable energy generation. In the UK, salt cavern storage is widely considered the “flagship” solution for hydrogen due to technical maturity and abundant capacity within UK geology. The East Coast Cluster hosts one of the UK’s largest salt basins and is collocated with Teesside and Humberside industrial clusters, leading to widespread interest in the region’s ability to deliver large-scale hydrogen storage capacity. However, few studies have matched forecast hydrogen storage demand with the region’s potential capacity using a system-level approach.
This study conducted a bottom-up analysis of hydrogen demand across the East Coast Cluster to determine the required hydrogen storage capacity and rate of uptake. The study identified significant barriers, principally temporal constraints, from long lead times prohibiting salt cavern deployment. Comprehensive stakeholder engagement across the value chain has informed a ranked set of policy interventions to accelerate salt cavern development and diversify UK Long duration energy storage technologies to mitigate these barriers.
The Next Steps for Geothermal Energy in the UK – Jason Boddy, Arup
Jason’s talk will describe Geothermal potential in the UK, challenges to investment and the action needed to overcome this, together with more recent developments in the UK.
Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Offshore Wind Farms Through Geophysical Site Investigation - Dr Dan Morgan, ScottishPower Renewables.
Dan will share industry-leading examples of the use of geophysical site investigation to manage risk and uncertainty in challenging offshore environments. This will cover techniques from a range of project examples and explain how the outcomes impact assessment of offshore wind farm sites.
Harnessing Geothermal Energy from Abandoned Mines: My ‘Boring’ Story - Ben Cornish, Igne
Ben will discuss his practical experience from drilling boreholes and constructing systems for the extraction of geothermal energy from abandoned mine workings in the UK. His talk will draw on past experience and provide an insight into what the future may hold for this green energy source.
The Young Engineers Geotechnical Poster Competition 2024 will also take place at the seminar. Entrants will be awarded free entry to the seminar. For further information please contact [email protected]. Notification of intent to submit a poster should be sent to the aforementioned email address no later than 9 October 2024 and must include:
- A written abstract detailing the geotechnical poster theme and title (submitted as a single pdf file, containing 300 words maximum and up to two illustrations).
- Details of the author including: name, date of birth, organisation, qualifications, previous experience and contact details (address and telephone number).
Given the size of the venue, the number of poster submission may need to be short-listed. Shortlisting will be undertaken by the judging panel on the strength of the abstracts submitted. Entrants who have been shortlisted will be notified by 16 October 2024.
Exhibition spaces are available for purchase. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Registered students may attend free of charge but must reserve their place.
