The SmartRes Project: Advancing Shallow Geothermal Systems in the UK

The UK has come a long way in decarbonising electricity. With the closure of the country’s last coal-fired power station, we’ve entered a new era of cleaner energy. Yet, one major challenge remains: how we heat our homes and buildings.  

Right now, heating is responsible for around 25% of UK carbon emissions, and only 6% of that comes from renewable sources. If the UK is to reach its emissions targets, decarbonising heat must be a top priority.  

The good news is that beneath our feet lies a constant, renewable, low-carbon energy source that can be harnessed for heating and cooling. Thus, geothermal energy could play a significant role in the UK’s journey toward a clean energy future.  

However, unlocking this potential isn’t simple. Large-scale urban geothermal projects face several challenges, such as uncertainty about the size of the underground resource, the long-term sustainability of urban geothermal deployments, and potential environmental impacts. 

Working Together to Unlock the UK’s Geothermal Potential 

Luckily, researchers from the University of Leeds, Imperial College London, the British Geological Survey (BGS), and the University of Manchester have joined forces to tackle these challenges.  

As part of the Smart assessment, management, and optimisation of urban geothermal resources (SmartRes) project, the team is working to overcome technical, economic, and societal challenges that hinder the expansion of geothermal technologies in cities across the UK.  

SmartRes focuses on shallow geothermal resources (less than 400m deep) and open-loop systems in which groundwater is pumped into and out of porous, permeable aquifer rocks. Shallow, open-loop systems are particularly promising because they’re cheaper to install than deep geothermal systems, are widely deployable across UK cities, and can deliver heating and cooling.  

Research at the UK GeoEnergy Observatory in Cheshire 

At the heart of this research is the BGS’s UK GeoEnergy Observatory in Cheshire, a world-leading facility for experimental research in shallow geothermal. Here, the University of Leeds research team, led by Dr Adam Booth and Professor Fleur Loveridge (both members of Geosolutions Leeds), recently completed the first seismic analysis as part of the project, using revolutionary fibre-optic technologies.  

In the coming months, they will extend testing at the site to explore how the Sherwood Sandstone, a major aquifer in northern England, responds to the storage and exploitation of heat.  

By studying how groundwater flow distributes heat, the team can build calibrated heat flow models to explore the capacity of urban geothermal systems and how different installations within a city might interact. 

Shaping a Low-Carbon Future 

The findings from SmartRes will enable regulators and developers to determine how to safely and fairly allocate geothermal resources, prevent environmental damage, and ensure that system designs accurately predict the available energy. 

Beyond heating homes, this research will also assess the capacity of geothermal resources to store waste heat from industrial processes and commercial buildings.  

 SmartRes has the potential to guide the creation of low-carbon cities across the UK.  

As the UK seeks to meet its net-zero targets by 2050, harnessing geothermal energy could be the missing piece of the puzzle.