Geothermal Campus Living Lab
The Geothermal Campus Living Lab was begun in early 2024 as part of a collaboration between the University's Net Zero team, Facilities Directorate, Estates, Buro Happold, ANTS Group and Geosolutions Leeds. Professor Fleur Loveridge, School of Civil Engineering & Dr Emma Bramham, School of Earth and Environment are the academic co-leads for the project.
This case study shares an outline of the Geothermal Campus Living Lab from inception to spring 2025. The Living Lab programme is led by the Sustainability Service and brings together research and practice to deliver real world solutions.
About the project
The Geothermal Campus forms part of the University of Leeds' wider plans to decarbonise the campus estate by 2030, as part of the 'delivering net zero' principle of the Climate Plan.
Reducing emissions associated with the University's estate is core to delivering against net zero targets. Significant emissions generated by the building stock will be reduced by electrification, using a combination of ground and air source heat pump (GSHP and ASHP) systems including the creation of a new energy centre, and accompanied by tactical building fabric improvements.
During 2024, development of the proposed heat pump systems was supported by exploratory drilling to confirm and evaluate the sub-surface geothermal resources. Three types of borehole were constructed:
- two test wells to 150m depth for quantification of target aquifer properties and to allow open-loop GSHP system design;
- two 250m deep pilot holes which produced rock cores to confirm ground conditions in detail and locate a deeper aquifer that could also be used as a future resource;
- four 150m deep thermal response test holes used to gather thermal properties across a wider area and also provide design data for future closed-loop GSHP systems.
The drilling was accompanied by an intensive communications and engagement initiative with staff, students and local communities, to inform and allay any concerns about drilling, especially where close to student residences.
The data generated so far, physical borehole infrastructure, and future system monitoring all form part of a Living Lab for supporting research and student education, as well as supporting the physical energy transition on campus,
The Geothermal Campus Living Lab aims to provide data, knowledge and skills to enable further uptake of geothermal solutions in the Leeds region and beyond. It therefore supports the Climate Plan principles 'delivering net zero', 'supporting a net zero city', and 'reorienting research and teaching'.
Project goals and progress
The Geothermal Campus forms the centrepiece of a multidisciplinary research programme aiming to explore the potential for geothermal energy to contribute to the UK’s net zero transition.
Initial modelling used legacy data and field samples to generate a baseline model of the subsurface beneath the University campus. Following acquisition of core and other geophysical data during the drilling campaign, dynamic reservoir modelling is now underway to verify initial findings.
This work is essential if we are to enable effective and sustainable use of geothermal resources both for the University campus and more broadly. Alongside this, social science, policy and economic questions are being investigated to explore how geothermal energy could be deployed at scale in cities across the UK.
The lessons learned from the Living Lab have already fed into a policy-focused project conducted in collaboration with Leeds City Council and DESNZ.
This focused on how an improved understanding of the shallow geothermal potential of Leeds can feed into both the development of future Heat Network Zones based on better information about heat sources, and future emissions reduction of existing heat networks.
A new Ofgem funded Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) project is also using the Geothermal Campus to explore how geothermal systems can support power system flexibility and renewables integration through grid balancing.
Interim evaluation
The Geothermal Campus is particularly notable for how results were generated and are now being used.
Initial results have proved extremely positive with advantageous groundwater conditions in the aquifer meaning the design of a hybrid GSHP-ASHP energy centre is proceeding. This phase of Geothermal Campus was a successful collaboration between many parts of the University (several academic faculties, estates teams, communications) and the supply chain.
The Living Lab is currently moving into an above ground phase as a new energy centre is being designed to house the ground-source and air-source heat pumps that will be used in operating energy system. It is essential that a similar collaborative approach continues to be adopted with new University suppliers and internal service provides so that the project fulfils its potential.
How were students encouraged to get involved?
During 2024 a variety of student cohorts in Engineering and Environment faculties were taken on “field trips” to enhance their learning of drilling methods and techniques.
To ensure information from the works are available for future students, the Digital Education Services were engaged to capture video, time lapse imagery and interviews with the key Contractors.
Test results from the works are already being included in certain taught modules, and a new Discovery Module on Geothermal Energy has been developed. Numerous student research projects have also been launched.
Next steps and future aims
The research team are continuing to use the results from the 2024 drilling campaign to provide new insights on the geothermal potential for the Leeds region.
Two post doctoral research and one PhD student are currently working on the project, as well numerous undergraduate and masters students. Further experiments on the borehole infrastructure will be conducted in 2025. In addition the new OfGem SIF project will run throughout 2025.
In parallel to this, development of the energy centre, and the monitoring and data collection required to complete the project is progressing. Within a few years this will produce a holistic whole energy system Living Lab that integrates subsurface, building and system level and climate information.
Interested in the latest news and research? You can explore updates on the Geothermal Campus Living Lab from Geosolutions Leeds.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. The Geothermal Campus project is linked to the following SDGs:
- Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
- Goal 13: Climate action
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.
