While the weather might be getting chillier, the GeoEnergy NI team has been hotting up, visiting schools, conferences and festivals across the island of Ireland (and beyond!) to talk to people about Northern Ireland’s geothermal potential.
Schools rock!
We had the pleasure of visiting 12 schools in November and December as part of our schools engagement programme. We are incredibly grateful to Jones Memorial Primary School and City of Armagh High School for being our host schools across these visits as we helped students discover the power and potential of what’s underneath their feet.
As well as meeting students and teachers, we had the pleasure of welcoming local Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy and Councillor Victor Warrington, Committee Chair, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council as part of the schools’ activity. It was great to see visitors get so involved in the geothermal experiments and getting to ‘travel’ underground on our Virtual Reality (VR) headsets.
If you are interested in being a GeoEnergy NI host school, please do get in touch via the contact form on our website: www.GeoEnergyNI.org/Contact-Us/
From symposiums to summits
We ‘rocked’ up to the 11th UK Geothermal Symposium organised by the Geological Society of London, where the latest technical and scientific advances in geothermal exploration and development were showcased. It was fantastic to hear from industry experts and engage in discussions about opportunities to drive positive change in the geothermal sector together. Michael MacKenzie from our team gave a fantastic insight into GeoEnergy NI, delivering a presentation on our integrated approach to geothermal demonstration projects.
Our team also attended the 3rd National Geothermal Energy Summit in Dublin, organised by the Geological Survey Ireland. The event brought together key stakeholders from policy, public and private sectors, industry, and research to drive geothermal energy development forward in Ireland. Our GeoEnergy Discovery Centre made its furthest journey yet and was proudly parked outside Dublin Castle, thanks as always to our trusty Geo Driver, Michael Gillan!
People, place and planet
The next stop for the team was closer to home, at the Europa Hotel as part of the RE[act] Sustainability Festival. Aligned with COP29 and inspired by Belfast’s own homegrown year of culture, the festival focuses on People, Place and Planet. We had a great time speaking with people, spreading the word about geothermal energy and the important role it will play in Northern Ireland’s journey towards Net Zero.
We also hosted a Pre-Application Community Consultation Event in Antrim where we met members of the local community to discuss the potential of geothermal energy in the area. Our GeoEnergy Discovery Centre was on site, and we had a great day speaking with people and answering their questions.
A must watch webinar!
As one of our last engagements before the holidays, we were delighted to present for the Northern Ireland Geothermal Webinar Series. The series features speakers from geothermal industry or research presenting different topics relevant to the sector.
During the webinar, GeoEnergy NI Project Manager Michael MacKenzie showcased the design and early results of both the shallow and deep feasibility studies, as well as highlighting the communications element of GeoEnergy NI.
For recordings of past webinars in the series, check out the GSNI YouTube channel: Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) – YouTube
Resources
Don’t forget, if you want to find out more about the heat beneath your feet, our website is packed full of educational resources, news, case studies and teacher packs! Visit our downloads and resource section to see what you can ‘unearth’: https://geoenergyni.org/demonstrator-projects/#downloads-resources
Pupils and teachers from City of Armagh High School and St. Patrick’s Grammar School are pictured at the GeoEnergy Discovery Centre with Councillor Sarah Duffy.
A Geo Ambassador and pupils from Ballycraigy Primary School are pictured testing rocks at the GeoEnergy NI Discovery Centre.
Michael MacKenzie, DfE speaking at the 11th UK Geothermal Symposium.
The GeoEnergy Discovery Centre situated outside Dublin Castle during the 3rd National Geothermal Energy Summit in Dublin.
The GeoEnergy NI exhibition stand located in the Europa as part of the Re[act] festival in Belfast.