That’s the belief of technologists and academics backing the nation’s first ever National Geothermal Centre, launched today.

Based at Stockton-on-Tees and supported by the Net Zero Technology Centre, Durham University, SHIFT Geothermal, and the Reece Foundation, donors to engineering innovators in the north-east, the NGC aims to nurture Britain’s exploitation of shaft-delivered, subterranean heat by stimulating research and innovation. Developing expertise, and advising entrepreneurs and policy-makers in forming a policy, regulation and investment framework which enables geothermal advancement, are among the centre’s remit.

The new body will drive collaboration between government, industry, and academia, championing the integration of geothermal energy into the UK’s impending renewables mix, as a low carbon option to heat homes and industries and in power generation.

Britain’s geothermal centres look primarily at sinking shafts into hot rocks thousands of metres below the surface, and pumping up super-heated ground water & gases. Government sources assert that geothermal could contribute mightily the nation’s energy targets and economy, meeting 10GW of the projected heating demand and 1.5GW of the anticipated electricity demand by 2050.

The centre is now on a mission to engage with geothermal practitioners & developers, bidding to speed uptake of applicable projects.

NGC director Anne Murrell, second from right in the picture, said: “Geothermal energy is the foundation of energy security in the UK. It is an inexhaustible source of clean heat and power beneath our feet. The new UK National Geothermal Centre will work to unearth it.

“Already in the UK geothermal projects are providing stable, low-cost, green energy to homes and businesses. With its expert stakeholders from industry, academia, finance and government, the NGC will expand geothermal development, at speed and at scale.”

“Geothermal has been my personal passion for over 20 years”, enthused Dr Charlotte Adams, another NGC director, standing next to Murrell.  “I remain convinced of its potential for reducing carbon emissions and improving energy security.

“The timing is perfect for launching the National Geothermal Centre, it will shape and accelerate our growing geothermal sector through collaborative cross-sector working. The Centre will ultimately help to unlock geothermal for more people and secure its’ position as an essential part of our low carbon energy mix.”

Nigel Lees, Chair of the NGC, said: “The launch of the National Geothermal Centre today represents a significant step in realising the opportunities that geothermal energy provides the UK. For several decades there has been a growing and meaningful contribution to our understanding of geothermal potential in the UK, yet we remain in the nascent stages of development with pockets of knowledge and expertise.

“The Centre will embrace and build on this, working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure a common understanding of the opportunities and challenges whilst giving a consistent voice and advocacy to fully unlock the geothermal potential in the UK and play a crucial part in the delivery of our net zero ambitions.

“I am honoured to serve as Chair of the National Centre and looking forward to working with the board, the executive, and our stakeholder community in the realisation of our collective vision.”

Rebecca Allison, chief operations officer at the Net Zero Technology Cenre, said: “As NZTC continues to accelerate the development and deployment of key transitioning technologies, we are fully embracing the opportunities that come with the geothermal sector. We look forward to supporting the NGC, helping it drive change and form a significant contribution to an integrated energy future.”

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Star is committing a total of Euros 1.6 million to acquire a controlling 51% interest of the local parent of IGeoPen, holders of exploration rights granted by Croatia’s government for hot rock extraction under the Pannonian Basin, described by Star as “highly prospective”.

In a complex deal enabled by its own subsidiary and by privately held investment fund Peninsula International, Star and Peninsula are teaming up to bid for, and hopefully deliver on, electricity generation from drilling beneath the Basin.

Star brings its decades of experience in geological analysis, and onshore drilling in the UK for gas & oil.

Via IGeoPen, the partners have submitted three separate bids for geothermal generation to Croatia’s hydrocarbons regulator, as part of its current licencing round. Awards of five-year licences are expected later this year.  Depending on their success, Peninsula may receive up to a further €1.5 million from Star.

Croatia estimates its national potential for making electricity from its hot rocks is around 1GW.   Only one plant, the 17.5MWe Velika Ciglena station currently generates.  But 4,000 exploratory wells, many centred in the 20,000 square kilometres of the Pannonian Basin, buoy the confidence of developers and ministers.

As an EU member, and its national grid connected to ENTSO for international transmission and sales, Croatia sees the Basin as a money spinner for its own coffers and for developers. A temperature gradient 60% higher than in substrata across the rest of Europe favour the nation via its subsurface formations.

A liberalised national generating market, and 12 year contracts for difference smiling on renewable sources of power, add to the nation’s attractiveness.

Via their subsidiary Star and Peninsula already hold one licence with existing wells in situ, centred around the Ernestinovo locality, in the east of the country. One of those wells needs refurbishment and a well test to validate the resource.  The pair then expect to receive a 20-year development licence.

Based on preliminary heat reserves and well productivity estimates, Star envisages at first a 10MW  generation plant, driven by geothermal brine sourced from up to six wells. The proposed plant would connect into a major substation with 400kV transmission lines to Zagreb, Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia,

Star Energy CEO Chris Hopkinson commented: “We are very pleased to announce our first overseas investment in geothermal as we look to build momentum in this part of our business.

“Whilst the business continues to build a material pipeline of business opportunities in the UK, we identified a significant opportunity in Croatia which will allow faster development and diversification of Star Energy’s geothermal interests.

The Croatian government is actively promoting the sector with a focus on electricity production which should allow accelerated development.   The acquisition brings with it a small, but highly respected team with years of experience in Croatia including developing the Velika 1 power plant”.

By lunchtime, investors on the LSE had marked Star’s share price 2.3% lower.

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Shares starting at £25 in Derril Water, a 42MW PV venture with planning permission on low grade fields at Pyworthy, west Devon, are being offered from today by Ripple Energy, pioneers of co-operative ownership.

Ripple have previously successfully sold three wind farms in Wales & Scotland to small investors.  Now they have bought the Devon project off the design board from developers RES.

A two-week exclusive window for locals to register for co-ownership opened this morning. From early May, private individuals further afield can stake their claim.

Ripple sees shared ownership of solar farms as an affordable, simple way for households to act on climate change and shrink their carbon footprint.

Owners of Derrll Water will see savings applied to their electricity bill, based on how much power their share of the park generates.

Ripple’s business model is to sell power from citizen-owned wind & solar farms on to retailers licenced by Ofgem. A clause in the power sale contract compels the suppliers to offer the electricity at a discount back to the farm’s owners.

Though indirect, long-term savings on investors’ purchases of clean power are guaranteed. Ripple’s marketing material quotes around 25% off competitors’ prices.

Community activities around Derril Water will benefit too from a fund run by the owners’ co-operative.  Power sales should raise around £42,000 every year, adding to £15,000 from developers RES, already committed to refurbish a village hall.

Sarah Merrick, Ripple Energy’s founder and CEO said: “By offering consumer ownership, Derril Water solar park will become a completely different kind of solar park, one owned by the people it supplies low cost green power to.

“We want Derril Water to become a blueprint for consumer-owned solar parks around the world”, Merrick went on.

“We want to create a wave of green energy ownership that enables people to make a real climate impact, as well as stabilising their energy bills.

RES’ Managing Director Lucy Whitford responded:  “Bringing Ripple on board at Derril Water offers a new way for consumers to share in the benefits of renewable energy and play a part in fighting climate change. The ability for local households and businesses to get involved connects the community directly with the project. Ripple’s model at Derril Water provides a direct way for consumers to lower their energy costs at such a critical time.”

Biodiversity uplift planned for the site includes planting species-rich grasses, native trees and 30% more hedgerows. Bird and bat boxes, hedgehog houses, dormouse boxes and bee banks will be installed.

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Now in its eighth year, Greg Jackson’s privately held international mega-investor says solar installation helps it create nearly 200 UK jobs, as it targets 3,000 roofs this year, starting in southern England and the Midlands. A fast ramp-up is promised.

A nationwide brand recognised from repeated TV advertising,  and with 4.9 million retail accounts following its absorption last month of failed supplier Bulb, Octopus ranks third among UK energy retailers, behind British Gas and E-on.

Octopus is backing its battery and on-roof instals with what it claims are Briain’s best rates for buying homeowners’ unstored electricity, made from light.  Its standard tariff of 15 pence per kWh to buy householders’ exported power is three times higher than rivals’ offerings, the firm says.

More rewarding still is a variable alternative, a floating export tariff linked to market prices for wholesale electricity.

Agile Outgoing links a customer’s “spilled” generation via Kraken, the firm’s fulfilment platform, into realtime prices seen on trading markets. Over the twelve months to last September, customers on this tariff were paid 34p per kWh on average, the firm claims.  Some payments peaked at £1.29 per kWh.

Plenty of beak, but Zero bills

Octopus says its stable of installation technology and proprietary know-how now allows some homes to exist free of any energy cost. By installing the technology trio of on-roof panels, a suitcase-sized in-house battery and a heat pump, the firm says houses can become ‘Zero Bills’ properties.

‘Zero Bills’ is Octopus’ own certification. It means homeowners pay nothing for their own consumption. A pilot in Essex saw 22 eligible dwellings made by Ilke Homes sold with the option of incurring ‘Zero Bills’.  The partners aim to swell that total to 10,000 homes by 2030.

Octopus views venturing into Britain’s now booming on-roof PV installation scene as filling in a gap. Its Energy Services division already connects up home EV chargers, air-source heat pumps and smart meters.

Octopus Energy Services CEO John Szymik commented: “Given the success we have had in scaling and installing huge swathes of smart, green home energy tech, we are champing at the bit to begin installing the last piece of the puzzle, solar photovoltaic.

There’s a clever cephalopod on my roof

“If more homes in the UK produce clean, green solar energy, we will be able to accelerate the energy transition and bring down system prices for everybody by lowering system costs”, Szymik went on.

“In true Octopus style, we’ll focus on reducing solar installation times down to record levels, hoping to soon make solar panels affordable for everyone.”

Interested customers should register an interest here octopus.energy/homesolar.

Observers see Octopus’ ambitions today for southern homes as another upward surge in the PV installation business’ notorious ‘solar-coaster’.

Over a decade ago, British Gas was the first big generator to venture into direct solar installation on domestic roofs.

Its Hampshire-based PV division rode the short-lived installation boom in 2010, buoyed up by Feed-in-Tariffs then paying 40 pence and more to homeowners for every kWh they generated, plus more for any unwanted power released to the grid.

After alarmed Whitehall officials used England’s courts to sabotage the runway demand they had themselves created, the Centrica offshoot turned away from depressed homes instals, concentrating instead on PV systems for commercial clients.

A publicly funded subsidy supporting home-scale beneficiaries for at least twenty years, the Feed-in Tariff closed for new registrations in March 2019.

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