Renewable future for coal mines
A new £20.9 million project is set to explore whether water in disused coalmines could be used to generate renewable energy.
It will investigate using combined heat and power (CHP) and heat pump technology to collect geothermally heated water in the former mines.
Aside from helping reduce CO2 emissions the system could also help regenerate economic prosperity in the regions following the mine closures.
The project will initially use mines located in Heerlen in the Netherlands and Midlothian in Scotland. It is funded by the EU and involves a number of partners including BRE, the Municipality of Harleen and Midlothian council.
The two mines are expected to be operational by the end of 2005 and, if successful, the technology could be implemented in a number of locations across Europe.
