FROZEN pavements and icebound roads have been a hazard for many in Scotland this winter – but scientists say the answer could be under our feet.
Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) have launched a project to find out if water from abandoned coal mines under the city could be used to heat up roads, pavements and homes from below.
The scheme could see Glasgow become the third city in the world to use geothermal energy to bring warmth to the surface for under-street heating.
Glasgow is criss-crossed with abandoned mines that date back to its industrial past, some of them hundreds of years old.
The team will map the maze of disused tunnels which exist beneath the city as they seek to identify underground reservoirs of water which have the potential to provide heat.
The first stage of the work will focus on the Clyde Gateway Regeneration area and will take three years to produce a blueprint of the entire city.
It is estimated almost half of Glasgow's heat, 40%, could be created using water from the flooded shafts, while the city could also copy schemes in Hamburg and Stockholm and use the wellspring of warmth on public footpaths and roads.
Despite frozen temperatures above ground, the water in the mines stays warm all year .
Geotechnical specialist Dr Nicholas Hytiris said once pools are found, ground source heat pumps could be used to begin extracting heat from the water for domestic use.
He said: "We believe this technology will, in the long term, be able to provide cheaper and more sustainable heating, which could be an answer to fuel poverty issues prevalent in many areas of Glasgow."
And the research team believes that the mine water could ultimately transform the environment as the harshest temperatures take hold.
Dr Hytiris said: "After Hamburg and Stockholm, Glasgow could be the third city in the world to have under-street heating. In three years' time we will have a full record of what is going on beneath our feet then we can go on from there."
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has offered full access to its data for the project, including a 3D model of the city.
Much of the mapping will be done by PhD student Emma Church, part-funded by ScottishPower, while Dr Caroline Gallagher, a senior lecturer at GCU and Geographical Information Systems specialist, will assist in an advisory capacity.
Dr Hytiris will be joined by GCU colleague Dr Rohinton Emmanuel, a reader in sustainable design and construction and Mr Bjorn Aaen, a former technical advisor to Glasgow City Council.
Mr Aaen said: "We're confident that utilising this technology properly will lead to a large energy saving for thousands of Glaswegians."
Derek Drummond, sustainable technology manager at ScottishPower, said: "This is an excellent project which could prove to be very beneficial."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article