Our heating system for Eden Project, Biomes and new greenhouses is nearly ready to go, and the wildflowers around the heat main are looking good.
During installation of the heat main to carry heat from the geothermal site to the Eden Project Energy Centre, hibernacula were created for pollinators, topsoil trenches were reinstated and seeded with wildflower mix and topsoil bunds were created to be suitable habitats for insects and burrowing bees in particular. Natural stone gabions – rather than concrete pillars – were used to support the above-ground sections of pipe.
Whole lifecycle emissions from geothermal heating systems are around 93 % lower than those associated with natural gas heating, but there are carbon emissions associated with geothermal development. The carbon intensity of geothermal heat has been calculated at 9.7–14.0 kg(CO2e) /MWhth, depending on site specific factors. And it can be on all the time, all day, 360 days a year, whatever the weather. Renewable energy as we’d all like it to be.
