Agriculture, a word that can elicit many thoughts, to most, it serves as the source of their dinner, to others, it’s a way of life. However, to a climate scientist it often is synonymous with the phrase ‘Greenhouse Gases’. In fact, in Northern Ireland, agriculture is the only sector that has seen a rise in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, but what if the solution lies under our very feet?
Hello, my name is Liam and I have just started as a PhD student in the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queens University Belfast. My project is titled: AgriTherm – The role of Geothermal Energy in decarbonising the UK Agri-Food Sector. Using Northern Ireland as a case study, I will be assessing geothermal resources against agricultural requirements and engaging with stakeholders across the agrifood sector to identify key opportunities and challenges with the application of Direct Use Geothermal Energy (DUGE) within the sector.
I grew up in Aberdeen, with a love of the natural environment and an inquisitive nature, and like many young people completely enthralled by extinct animals, chiefly dinosaurs. My love of the outdoors was fuelled in part by regular trips visiting the family farm in County Kilkenny, whilst on one of these trips I noticed the vast differences in the building materials in Kilkenny and Aberdeen, while pondering over why this was I stumbled across a new interest, geology.
This appreciation of geology and the physical environment culminated in me studying a BSc in Geoscience at the University of Aberdeen. During this time, I completed two dissertations, the first involved researching the potential for geothermal development in Chile, using Iceland as a case study. This project involved analysing and comparing the available resources and requirements across both countries as well as any specific challenges that may impact Chile’s ability to benefit from geothermal energy. The second project involved analysing the geochemistry of Pitchstones from the isle of Arran, using both optical and scanning electron microscopy to compare compositional data including some unusual metastable pyroxenes and to comment on the emplacement of these samples. Both projects convinced me that I wanted to pursue further study. So, when QUADRAT advertised a project that combined geothermal energy with agriculture it seemed like a perfect fit.
I look forward to developing and sharing my knowledge throughout this project!
