Low-carbon GeoEnergy resource options in the Midland Valley of Scotland, UK

Heinemann, N. and Alcalde, J. and Johnson, G. and Roberts, J.J. and McCay, A.T. and Booth, M.G. (2019) Low-carbon GeoEnergy resource options in the Midland Valley of Scotland, UK. Scottish Journal of Geology, 55 (2). pp. 93-106. ISSN 2041-4951 (https://doi.org/10.1144/sjg2019-007)

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Abstract

Scotland is committed to be a carbon-neutral society by 2040 and has achieved the important initial step of decarbonising power production. However, more ambitious measures are required to fully decarbonise all of the electricity, transport and heating sectors. We explore the potential to use the low-carbon GeoEnergy resources and bio-energy combined with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in the Midland Valley area to decarbonise the Scottish economy and society. The Midland Valley has a long history of geological resource extraction, and as a result, the geology of the region is well-characterised. Geothermal energy and subsurface energy storage have the potential to be implemented. Some of them, such as gravity and heat storage, could re-use the redundant mining infrastructure to decrease investment costs. Hydrogen storage could be of particular interest as the Midland Valley offers the required caprock-reservoir assemblages. BECCS is also a promising option to reduce overall CO2 emissions between 1.10-4.40 MtCO2/yr. The Midland Valley has enough space to grow the necessary crops, but CO2 storage will most likely be implemented in North Sea saline aquifers. The studied aspects suggest that the Midland Valley represents a viable option in Scotland for the exploitation of the majority of low-carbon GeoEnergy resources.

ORCID iDs

Heinemann, N., Alcalde, J., Johnson, G. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3151-5045, Roberts, J.J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4505-8524, McCay, A.T. and Booth, M.G.;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:70022
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    4 November 2019
    Published
    12 September 2019
    Published Online
    6 September 2019
    Accepted
    6 March 2019
    Submitted
    Subjects:Science > Geology
    Department:Faculty of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:03 Oct 2019 11:53
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 12:15
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/70022
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