How old coal mines can help the climate
Old coal mines could still have a role to play in heating homes – but this time, without burning fossil fuels. Martha Henriques explores the buildings heated from the warmth of long-disused mine workings.
In a cavernous warehouse on the outskirts of Gateshead, north-east England, cases upon cases of wine tower into the distance. You might think that keeping these towering stacks of alcohol at a comfortable ambient temperature year round would lead to a mind-boggling energy bill – especially through the unforgiving north-east winters.
But, as is the case for a small but growing number of buildings in Gateshead, this is not so.
The warehouse sits above the remnants of old, flooded mine workings, deep below the surface. These old mines, which will never return coal to the surface again, are now producing another resource that, ironically, can help us emit less carbon, not more: geothermal heat.
In this part of England, with its long and complex history of mining coal, long-closed mines are being repurposed as an enormous, clean source of heat. And this warehouse is just the start. A new district heating system in Gateshead is poised to begin warming homes and buildings in the area at a cost 5% below market rate, using the clean heat from its mines 150m (490ft) below the ground.
Join me in the fourth episode of Future Planet's new video series, New Directions, where we visit the warehouse and a nearby mine water treatment plant, to explore how the skeletons of disused mines can provide sustainable heating.
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