ZEGEN ENERGY
UNCOVERING THE UK’S LIVING ENERGY VECTOR
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ZEGEN ENERGY
I PROFILE
ZeGen Energy is an innovative startup on a mission to identify and verify deep geothermal opportunities and increase the adoption of this valuable renewable energy source. Determined to help change the landscape of the UK energy market, CEO & Co-Founder Kirsten Pasturel shares her experiences, thoughts and hopes for scaling geothermal energy. Report by Imogen Ward.
D
rawing from more than five decades of combined experience in the energy industry, Kirsten Pasturel
and Co-Founder Kenny Watt have dedicated their time to identifying deep geothermal opportunities and helping organisations transition from finite fossilbased energy sources. “I cut my teeth at the sharp end of the geothermal sector,” CEO & Co-Founder Kirsten Pasturel said: “I witnessed what happens when geothermal wells aren’t designed, delivered or operated correctly. That experience was the fundamental ingredient that not only shaped my approach to geothermal solutions, but
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UNC
– THE UK
COVERING
K’S LIVING ENERGY VECTOR –
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ZEGEN ENERGY
I PROFILE
Located beneath the Earth’s surface, Geothermal energy is baseload in nature. This means that it is available 24/7, unlike other renewable energy sources. The opportunities for extraction are improving, thanks to more accurate screening capacities and technological advancements.
also developed the holistic approach that we abide by at ZeGen.” Founded in 2020, ZeGen Energy accelerated into the UK’s energy space with the help of Elevator UK and Scottish Enterprise. Part of these companies’ joint venture, Grey Matters (created to help impact the global energy industry), Scottish-based ZeGen Energy has made impressive progress with several high-profile clients across both the geothermal heat and power sectors. To underpin geothermal investment opportunities, ZeGen Energy utilises its own carefully formulated model to provide clients with the most appropriate, cost-effective and, most importantly, viable geothermal solutions.
Charging the ZeGen Model The ZeGen Model is a framework of complex modular workflows and matrices dependant on the geothermal context, that enables the company to perfectly pair its clients with effective
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Kenny Watt Co-Founder
CEO & Co-Founder Kirsten Pasturel
solutions. ZeGen has established
“As we speak, we are migrating our model
a model that not only works but excels
onto a new digital platform, which will allow
in sourcing and developing the potential
us to input larger data sets and process infor-
of geothermal energy.
mation much faster than was possible until
“The ZeGen Model was created to assess
now,” Ms Pasturel said, “saving valuable time
and mature opportunities,” explained Ms
when working with complex modular work-
Pasturel. “With every completed project, we
flows, as defined by the client needs and the
continue to refine that model. Our starting
geothermal opportunity at hand.”
point for developing the model was cus-
Every improvement made to the ZeGen
tomer engagement and we use every
Model is a result of direct client experience
opportunity to refine, input and improve
and actively responding to evolving market
the screening criteria employed during our
challenges. With a focus on accelerating
assessment period to rapidly screen and
the journey towards net zero, the company
rank geothermal opportunities.”
also plans to embed several unique solu-
As an essential element of the company’s
tions and benefits into the ZeGen model,
operations, it is crucial that the ZeGen
taking into consideration the global expec-
Model can handle copious amounts of data.
tations surrounding climate change and
To maintain the model’s viability, an exciting
the challenges presented when packaging
development is currently underway at
geothermal projects.
ZeGen Energy, and is on track to be avail-
To date, ZeGen Energy has strategically
able to customers by the end of this year:
chosen projects to immerse itself in a wide
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ZEGEN ENERGY
I PROFILE
“ range of customer challenges – from
“The Balmoral project has helped us shine
provision of heat onshore to offshore
a light on the value of geothermal energy,”
power for emission reduction. Each
Ms Pasturel explained. “It’s a brilliant project,
project is a cutting-edge example
that allowed us to showcase the breadth
that promotes decarbonisation and
of our experience from both the geothermal
helps accelerate the transition towards
and the oil and gas sector, to assess the
clean energy.
potential of geothermal in a granite such as the Balmoral resource.”
Projects with added value
“In the winter of 2022, due to severe
“Currently, there are very few geothermal
weather, many households in the sur-
projects in the UK, and one-off projects are
rounding rural area went without power for
not enough to develop an adequate regula-
nine days. So geothermal has the potential
tory framework to support public and private
to be a big deal for those who cannot rely
investment for deploying geothermal at
on a secure grid connection. In addition
scale,” Ms Pasturel explained. “Momentum
to affordable and secure heat, a develop-
is building, but we need to accelerate it.”
ment of this type in rural communities also
One project which helped promote this
creates sustainable employment, offering
energy saw the company working close to
local people the possibility to remain in their
its roots in Scotland. This project was imple-
hometowns with skilled jobs.
mented to evaluate the advantages and potential of geothermal energy for the
Moulding a geothermal market
Balmoral Estate. ZeGen Energy led a team of
Despite the recent increase of geothermal
industry experts to successfully complete
chatter, the UK is yet to take full advantage
the project.
of its geothermal potential.
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W G T
WE NEED TO GET THE EOTHERMAL DEBATE INTO HE MAINSTREAM AND FAST
Exemplifying the next steps, Ms Pasturel clarified what must change for geothermal to thrive, “The UK government needs to support the delivery of a joined-up strategy that highlights realistic pathways to enable the contribution of geothermal energy in realising our net zero goals,” she said. “We need a geothermal licensing framework that developers can build value into: this is a model that the oil and gas industry has employed with great success.
“There’s no denying, that when it comes
“We also need strategies that de-risk
to geothermal, the UK has got a lot of
the initial steps of geothermal projects
ground to cover,” said Ms Pasturel. “The
and allow entry and exit of early-stage
geothermal community finds this frus-
investors and finance; it’s crucial to forge
trating because aggressive emissions
these links to the investment community.
reduction goals and climate commit-
“Currently, the government does not
ments demand that all renewable energy
acknowledge geothermal technologies in
sources should be properly assessed
its British Energy Security Strategy or its Net
and represented.
Zero Strategy. Incorporating this would be
“Yet geothermal is at risk of falling further
a fundamental first step towards creating
behind other renewable energy sources:
a more traditional geothermal market in the
and whilst the country continues to delib-
UK. Other countries are steaming ahead
erate on the subject instead of acting, there
with development, including France and the
is a growing risk that eventually the gap will
Netherlands who have created a plethora
become too great to bridge. We are spoilt
of initiatives to support geothermal devel-
with a highly skilled workforce and supply
opment at scale.
chain in the UK ready to take up the chal-
“There’s so much already being done
lenge, and that window of opportunity
elsewhere, we don’t need to recreate the
is now.”
wheel,” she concluded. “But we need to get
With less than 1% of the UK’s annual
the geothermal debate into the mainstream
energy requirements being generated
– and fast. We need to speak to its strengths
by geothermal infrastructure, the country
as a premium baseload energy vector; one
is taking advantage of only a small per-
that can help meet the energy needs of
centage of the available resources.
society within the means of our planet. n
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