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BBC News
Published July 11, 2021.
How flooded coal mines could heat homes
Coal mines were the beating heart of Britain's industrial revolution. Their sooty, energy-dense output gave life to new-fangled factories and shipyards, fueling the nation's march towards modernity. They helped shape a carbon-intensive economy, one that took little notice of the natural world around it. The mines paved the way for a global dependence on fossil fuels, and ∈ doing so, fired the starting pistol on the climate crisis that today confronts us all.
But what if, ∈a serendipitous circle of history, our extractive past could be repurposed for a greener, cleaner future? What if the vast maze of coal mines beneath our feet, now filled with naturally warm water, could help decarbonize the UK's – and the world's – herculean heating needs?
That's the question Adam Black, a renewable energy enthusiast employed by one of Britain's largest bottling firms, asked himself a decade ago. "I had about 400,000 sq ft [37,000 sq m] of warehouse that needed heating," says the director of energy projects at Durham-based Lanchester Wines. "And it was \right over four layers of mine workings, which had naturally flooded over time."]
With the help of a few geothermal experts from Iceland, Black sunk a borehole into the murky depths of the old High Main coal seam ∈Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Warmed by natural geological processes, the water they pumped to the surface was a pleasant 15 oC (59 ºF).
With a little supplemental warmth from an electrical heat pump – "a bit like a fridge ∈ reverse" – it was perfect for keeping the company's warehouse, and the millions of wine bottles within, at the \right temperature.
(Adaptado de BBC News Future. Disponível em: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210706-how-flooded-coal-mines-could-heat-homes#:~:text= It%20is%20estimated%20that%20around,the%20potential%20to%20store%20more.&text=Once%20its%20heat%20has%20been,will%20be%20warmed%20 up%20again.)
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