Geothermal energy generation

Geothermal power is often associated with places like Iceland, where lava is literally running up and out of the ground. However, the entire globe has access to heat if you can dig deep enough in the right kind of rock.

Scottish government outcomes identified this as one possible avenue for low-carbon generation: https://www.gov.scot/policies/renewable-and-low-carbon-energy/geothermal-energy/

There are a number of different methods to gather geothermal energy. The simplest would be to use it to heat water to generate steam and power a turbine. More complex methods could involve using it to generate hot water for direct distribution to households, such as through heat networks: https://www.gov.scot/policies/renewable-and-low-carbon-energy/heat-networks/

The scottish government should continue to investigate feasibility, including:
- Identifying if there any existing easy to access shallower hotspots of energy
- Work with industry to reduce the initial carbon cost of setup of geothermal technology
- Work with industry to see if the technology can be made cheaper and more easily deployed

If it is found to be feasible, then actually start making use of geothermal energy.

Renewables are the way forward. But an energy grid supplied entirely by one kind of renewable power is not stable in the short term, as disruptions from weather, drought, etc can influence how effective they are from one day to the next. Energy storage technologies may help with this, but investigating "always on" sources like geothermal may go even further in stabilising the grid.

Geothermal power generation would also require drilling and underground exploration to find the best spots. This could provide a good avenue for moving industry away from north sea oil and gas while allowing us to retain and make use of existing skillsets and R&D.

If geothermal energy generation is found to be feasible and can be deployed easily, smaller energy facilities could be deployed in local areas as a means of generating hot water through local heat networks. This could create local jobs in setup and maintenance at such facilities.

Geothermal energy could be a solution to create more on-shore energy generation. One of the biggest barriers to wind is public perception that the large turbines are unsightly or harmful to the local environment. As geothermal generation is contained almost entirely underground, there should be less objections to its use.