Canada needs to dig deep to become a world leader in geothermal
Carbon emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas are fuelling the climate crisis, which is quickly approaching a point of critical warming ceiling with predicted catastrophic consequences.
But there are safe, viable, zero-carbon alternatives to fossil fuel energy sources, and one in particular that Canada is not taking full advantage of, say Cascade Institute ultradeep geothermal project team, Rebecca Pearce, science lead and Ian Graham, resident fellows.
“This is why a worldwide race for next-generation geothermal technology has begun – and why Canada needs to get serious about joining, lest it fall to the back of the alternative-energy pack…
“Canada can do far better. Workers in our fossil-fuel and mining industries already have a wealth of expertise in drilling and subsurface resource extraction, and in Western Canada, we have a ready-made labour force that can be employed in this new industry almost immediately, with little or no retraining required. We also have a huge variety of geological settings, with regions of good geothermal gradients in hard, granitic rock with nearby populations that would benefit directly from renewable heat and electricity plants.”