‘It is electrifyingly exciting’: How Britain could be freed from fossil fuels forever

It’s something miners have always known: the further down you go, the hotter it gets. But, asks Harry Cockburn, can Britain catch up with the rest of Europe in using geothermal heat to help tackle the climate crisis

Hot topic: the geothermal power plant at Blue Lagoon, Iceland offers an example of how Britain could ease its energy crisis (Getty/iStock)

The core of the Earth is hotter than the surface of the Sun. Depending on how deep we dig, humans can tap an endless source of energy from the ground directly beneath our feet.

According to the most conservative estimates, across Britain, for every 1,000 metres down you go, temperatures rise by around 25-30C, and by much more in certain areas. And utilising this heat for our homes and businesses, as well as to generate electricity, has few drawbacks – next-to-no emissions, minimal surface equipment, and deployable in almost all locations.

Miners around the UK have known this for centuries: the deeper you go, the hotter the work. But unlike the coal, oil and gas routinely drilled for around these isles, this abundance of free heat has scarcely been harnessed in Britain.