Hi! My name is Hazel and I’m a Research Fellow on the United Downs Deep Geothermal Project. My particular job title is Research Fellow in Public Understanding of Geothermal Power, which is right up my street as a geologist who studies public engagement, science communication and geoscience cognition. I started out my career working as an Engineering Geologist in Australia, helping to build a major motorway and bridge upgrade just outside of Brisbane in Queensland. Then I decided to changeRead more
Professor Chris Rapley – Climate Change: Why so toxic?
Chris Rapley speaks for only 35 minutes but delivers material which will alter fundamentally your perspective on climate change. Take for instance his experience as Chair of the London Climate Change Partnership. The Environment Agency has prepared a flood protection plan for the London Floodplain designed to keep this immensely valuable area safe until 2100. This will cost approximately £10bn. But ask the EA the question “What is the largest sea level rise that you could protect London against, beyondRead more
Cornish Geothermal: Meet GEL, the technical and commercial partners
Alongside our research here at the Sustainable Earth Institute, there is also a team working on the technical and commercial side of the United Downs project, on site in Cornwall. Here is a quick word from them to introduce themselves: The three year United Downs Deep Geothermal Power (UDDGP) project is being undertaken by Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) to explore the deep geothermal resources beneath Cornwall, with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (£10.6m), Cornwall Council (£2.4m) andRead more
Hot Topic 1: Why communicate about Enhanced Geothermal Systems?
As a part of the research being done by the team here at the Sustainable Earth Institute about the Deep Geothermal project at United Downs, we think it is really important to share as much as we can what we are doing with anyone who is interested. With this in mind we are planning a series of short summaries that look at different aspects of our research, which we are calling ‘Hot Topics’! The first of these Hot Topics focusesRead more
Cornish Geothermal: Hello from Professor Iain Stewart
I went down to Cornwall once and they put me in a box. An air-tight box. In the Eden Project. For two days. Inside, researchers took the oxygen content down from 21% to 12%, and then waited to see if a glass container packed with high-photosynthesising plants could take in the carbon dioxide from my breathing and re-establish normal oxygen levels. It nearly worked – well, at least I lived – but the point is that being vitally dependent onRead more
Mike Barry – Marks and Spencer’s Plan A programme: translating science into meaningful action
At first glance, the food and clothing on offer in the aisles of Marks and Spencer give little indication of the company’s sustainability strategy. But look closer and some clues are revealed: the name of the farmer can be seen on the chicken he has supplied; the forks available to eat a take away salad are now wood rather than plastic; more meals using plant-based meat alternatives are on the shelves. These developments have their origins in Plan A, theRead more