Sligo Regional Sports Centre Demonstration Site
Demonstrating the decarbonisation of a sports centre using shallow geothermal energy.
A shallow geothermal system will be installed to replace the
existing liquified natural gas (LNG) system at Sligo Regional Sports Centre,
Cleveragh. The system will heat the building and swimming pool, resulting in
cleaner air, increased efficiency and reduced running costs. The geothermal
system provides an effective replacement for fossil fuels and is projected to
save an estimated 188 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The installation will be a vertical, closed loop collector system.
Around 50 boreholes will each be drilled to a depth of about 200m and connected
in series to a ground source heat pump (GSHP). This loop is a completely closed
pipe which is filled with a fluid which is highly efficient at transferring
heat (called a ‘thermal transfer fluid’). As the fluid circulates around the
loop underground, it absorbs heat from the surrounding rocks before moving back
to the surface where a heat exchanger transfers the heat to the GSHP, which further
elevates the temperature for utilisation in the building’s heating system.
The new heating system will be part of a larger scale
retrofitting and upgrade of the building. The geothermal energy boreholes will
be underneath the sports centre car park and completely undetectable once the
car park has been resurfaced. The groundworks will be done at the start of the retrofitting
exercise and then connected to the building’s heating system.
As the Sports Centre will be using heat from directly
underneath the building and car park, users will benefit from the reassurance
of energy security. They can also boast a pioneering local installation which
is expected to stimulate interest in upgrading similar facilities to geothermal
energy on the island of Ireland. To support this development, GEMINI partners
will also create training opportunities aimed at local authorities, planners
and policymakers to expand knowledge and expertise.
A comprehensive report on the shallow geothermal potential
of the Sligo Town region will also be created, incorporating existing and new
geological and hydrogeological data from the demonstration site.
The
following GEMINI partners are involved in activities at Sligo Regional Sports
Centre: SCC, Atlantic Technological University (apprenticeships and skills
training), Geological Survey Ireland and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland
(providing technical support and advice), Queens University Belfast and Ulster University
(research and monitoring), Codema (feasibility studies), RML (communications and
engagement).
