Project GeoGrid gets £480,000 to tap geothermal storage for system efficiency
Image courtesy University of Leeds (taken by Ben Craven, School of Earth and Environment)
Project Geogrid in the UK has been awarded £480,000 (approximately $590,717) from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to tap into geothermal long-duration storage to deliver cross-vector balancing and advanced network management.
LCP Delta, alongside Geosolutions Leeds, Northern Powergrid, University of Leeds, E.ON, Leeds City Council, and Star Refrigeration, will collaborate on the project, which will explore solutions to enhance energy system efficiency and sustainability.
The GeoGrid trial will take place at the University of Leeds Geothermal Campus, serving as a testing ground for scalable solutions that could be implemented across the UK.
The project aims to address pressing issues such as the rising electricity demands from heat electrification, the inefficiencies associated with curtailing renewable energy, and the need to deliver low-carbon heating networks to meet around 20% of the UK’s heat demand.
GeoGrid will demonstrate how new value streams from system and market interaction can help improve the business case for district heating.
By integrating geothermal storage into the energy system, GeoGrid aims to lower network connection costs, reduce costly reinforcement, and enhance grid resilience. The project will also demonstrate how curtailed renewable energy can be stored and deployed more effectively at lower cost, supporting decarbonisation goals while balancing supply and demand.
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Commenting in a release was Andrew Turton, head of consulting at LCP Delta: “We’re incredibly proud to be a part of the GeoGrid project and to work alongside such a strong group of partners.
“This project is of strategic importance for the UK electricity network as it addresses some of the most pressing challenges in our transition to net zero. By combining innovative geothermal storage with advanced modelling and systems thinking, we’re helping to lay the foundations for a more resilient, efficient, and decarbonised energy system.”
Added Dave Pearson, group sustainable development director of Star Refrigeration: “We know the future of heating is not going to be gas, but how exactly we harness renewable electricity, which is so varied in output, needs a lot of exploration. The project will allow us to turn electrified heat (big heat pumps) from a burden and challenge on the grid to a major flexibility opportunity that lowers costs incurred from the wider grid being less flexible.”
Said Emma Bramham, lecturer in Applied Geophysics and Structural Geology, and GeoGrid Project lead for the University of Leeds: “This innovative collaboration will use the University’s unique Geothermal Living Lab facilities to explore new ways of improving energy system efficiency and sustainability.
“The ability to store excess renewable energy beneath the city’s streets will help make best use of green electricity resources and speed up the UK’s transition to net zero.
“By working together on this project, we aim to find solutions that provide nationwide benefits.”
GeoGrid’s approach is not limited to geothermal storage. The methodology and optimisation strategies developed through the project are applicable to other forms of long-duration heat storage, such as water-based and phase-change stores.
