ECOTRICITY TO POWER HOMES WITH GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Ecotricity, the renewable energy company based in Stroud, has pledged to bring geothermal energy to British homes for the first time, powering homes with renewable energy generated from steam more than three miles beneath Cornwall.

The site will produce at least three megawatts of electricity (enough to power 10,000 homes a year) which will be distributed via the National Grid.

Geothermal energy is a renewable, sustainable source of energy and a baseload provider, which means it produces energy 24/7 almost 365 days of the year. It also has the smallest surface footprint of any type of energy generation, according to Ecotricity.

Hazel Farndale, Project Geologist from Ecotricity’s project partners, Geothermal Engineering, said: “In theory, we can get geothermal energy anywhere in the country, we just have to drill deep enough. With current drilling technology, it's best to do this in Cornwall and Devon because here we have a granite body that naturally produces heat.

“A recent independent report by the Renewable Energy Association estimated that there's a potential geothermal resource of 220 gigawatts beneath our feet here in Britain, enough to power all the UK's homes more than 18 times over. This is far more than we need. It has really exciting potential.”