| Abstract |
In recent years Canada has steadily embraced heat-pump geothermal technology. Approximately 35,000 Canadian homes and buildings currently receive heating and cooling through geo-exchange installations. However, policy obstacles still exist which prevent extensive development of Western Canada’s high-temperature geothermal resources for electrical generation. The cumulative Canadian geothermal resource remains poorly quantified due to a 25 year hiatus in Federal government funding of geothermal science. Through commercial avenues, approximately 100MW of geothermal power potential has been identified as of 2009, although there is still no geothermal power in Canada’s electrical grid. As an under-explored geothermal resource, Canadian geothermal projects will represent a pertinent frontier for commercial development in the near future. The corporate and public awareness of geothermal technologies has grown in the recent past through an increased media focus, and a strengthening support for carbon-friendly lifestyle choices. Currently, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association is leading 33 government policy projects at the Federal and Provincial levels to establish a foundation for the imminent development of geothermal electrical projects. In the Western Canadian geothermal corridor, most of the local power is generated hydroelectrically, although neighbouring export markets still generate a significant amount of power from fossil fuels. As the effect of recent carbon taxes permeate electricity markets in 2009, new geothermal projects will be well positioned to fill the vacuum with clean and reliable power. |