Edit: This lunch and learn has been postponed due to COVID-19 precautions. Updates to follow.
Clean Energy BC Lunch + Learn: Canada's Geothermal Future
March 19, 2020 11:45am-1:00pm
111-409 Granville St, Vancouver BC
Geothermal Canada President Dr. Catherine Hickson will be speaking about the geothermal energy industry and its history and future in Canada. This event is open to all but tickets must be purchased in advance.
Clean Energy BC Members: $35
Non-Members: $60
Event Description
Geothermal energy has been alive in Canada for decades. From the early pioneers in the mid 1970s a small industry was built that first focused on resources here in Canada. This industry was driven by the first global oil crises. As the world evolved and began to realize hydrocarbons were not going to run out any time soon, countries with rich high temperature resources continued to push on with development of geothermal energy. For countries like Canada, with significant natural gas, coal resources and hydro power, the development of geothermal was a very hard sell. Several of the companies born in the 1970s turned their attention southward to states like Nevada and California, as well as globally. For example, Nevada Geothermal was actually a Vancouver based company, employing Canadian engineers and geoscientists. There have been a few other upswings in deep geothermal development in Canada since the 1970s, but until recently, it has remained on the back burner. Now those long in the industry have seen a steep change in the exposure deep geothermal energy is getting. Buoyed along by the accelerating tide for the need for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, the natural attributes of geothermal – base load, high capacity factors, infrastructure longevity and low capex following construction are beginning to be noticed. With the significant infusion of funding by the federal government for project development as well as R&D and innovation, Geothermal is poised to make a breakthrough in the Canadian renewable energy space.