West of England coalmines to be mapped for renewable energy potential
West of England coalmines to be mapped for renewable energy potential
Regional mayor Dan Norris launches project to explore potential for former mines to produce low-carbon heat
Now, public officials are hoping disused mines that provided millions of tonnes of fossil fuels could be used as a potential source of renewable energy across the country.
It has already been a success in Gateshead, where the council-owned Gateshead Energy Company is using warm water from the extensive network of old mine workings 150 metres below the town to supply heat and hot water.
Other authorities are catching on to the potential with the metro mayor for the west of England, Dan Norris, betting £1.5m that some of the 100-plus mines in Somerset and South Gloucestershire will be able to provide a renewable source of heat in the region.
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The Gateshead Energy Company powers its centralised heat pump with a solar farm and estimates to be saving about 1,800 tonnes of CO2 a year