National Energy Champion award for geothermal researcher

Research into the potential of using geothermal energy as a low-carbon heat source has won a national award for one of our leading researchers. Dr Charlotte Adams has been named "Energy Champion" by the UK Energy Institute. The award recognises Charlotte's work on sustainable, low carbon, heating using water from abandoned former coalmines. Geothermal energy Heat production accounts for over half of the UK's energy demand and currently most of this is met by burning gas - a major contributor to greenhouse gases. Research by Charlotte and her colleagues has found that water within former coalmines could provide enough geothermal energy to meet the UK's demand for heat for more than 100 years. Water is pumped from under the ground and the heat is extracted using heat pumps before being returned to the ground. Cleaner heat source As the Earth warms the water naturally, geothermal provides the opportunity to heat homes and businesses with a much lower carbon footprint.