• Canada may have enough geothermal potential to power the entire country - a million times over
    91 replies, posted
Source - [url=http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canada+vast+geothermal+potential/5398491/story.html]Montreal Gazette[/url] [release]A "massive" store of clean, renewable energy is sitting at Canadians' feet, according to a federal report on geothermal energy. Tapping into hot rocks that are tantalizingly close to the surface in western and northern Canada could generate more electricity than the entire country now consumes and generate few greenhouse gas emissions, says the report by a team of 12 scientists led by Stephen Grasby of the federal Geological Survey of Canada. [b]"As few as 100 projects could meet Canada's energy needs,"[/b] according to the team's findings, to be presented at a geothermal conference in Toronto on Thursday. The 322-page report suggests the clean, renewable source of energy could be a game-changer. [b][highlight]"Canada's in-place geothermal power exceeds one million times Canada's current electrical consumption," the report says.[/b][/highlight] The heat is closest to the surface in large swaths of British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, but the report says geothermal energy opportunities exist across Canada. The report says that geothermal has [b]distinct advantages over not only fossil fuels and nuclear energy but also wind, solar and biofuels, as the Earth's heat is available 24 hours a day, year-round.[/b][/release] [release]The biggest downside to geothermal energy is the high upfront costs. Wells must be drilled kilometres deep to bring the heat to the surface and plants must be built to turn the heat into electricity. It takes five to seven years to get a geothermal energy system operating, Richter said. [b]But once the plant is in place the energy, at least in theory, would flow indefinitely, said Richter, whose association is looking to Ottawa for more technical and regulatory support.[/b][/release] Fuck the oil sands. Fuck them right now. Let's do this.
Sounds like the perfect energy source, once it becomes fully functional.
If this is true and we actually utilize this, we could sell energy to the rest of the world and support ourselves quite well. Ya'll could move in, there's a lot room in a lot of places. Go make new cities.
Geothermal energy could power the entire globe. Why is it so untapped?
[QUOTE=Sexy Eskimo;32485303]Sounds like the perfect energy source, once it becomes fully functional.[/QUOTE] Just sucks it never will be since it would make some of the richest people in the world lose their income.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;32485320]If this is true and we actually utilize this, we could sell energy to the rest of the world and support ourselves quite well. Ya'll could move in, there's a lot room in a lot of places. Go make new cities.[/QUOTE] I can imagine huge cities forming up in the high arctic around where clusters of these plants are, that would be amazing. Picture something like New York, but in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.
I literally see nothing wrong with his at all in any way, shape, or form. Bet most people still won't use it though.
Well, Canada's definitely gonna survive the coming Fossilocalypse with their geothermal plants, but the real question is this; will they share their power grid surplus with their southern bretheren when the oil runs out?
Too many rich people will be all like "HURR, dis goes ageinst goed". At least in the US
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485321]Geothermal energy could power the entire globe. Why is it so untapped?[/QUOTE] Oil companies and rich arab sheiks.
Holy shit, we definitely need to go with this.
My town is geothermal powered. It smells of rotten eggs apparently but you get used to it.
[QUOTE=ironman17;32485329]Well, Canada's definitely gonna survive the coming Fossilocalypse with their geothermal plants, but the real question is this; will they share their power grid surplus with their southern bretheren when the oil runs out?[/QUOTE] I can't see us getting many geothermal plants any time soon. Big oil is helping to prop up our current government, they're definitely not going to start opening their own state-run plants and they're likely to make it a regulatory nightmare for the private sector to get in on it. [editline]26th September 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=s0m3_guy;32485359]My town is geothermal powered. It smells of rotten eggs apparently but you get used to it.[/QUOTE] Sounds like they aren't filtering it properly because I've never heard of people in Iceland complaining and that country has a shitton of geothermal
You guys should use it, Geothermal power is a reliable energy source.
Looks like I'll have to up my power consumption, I'm sick of being "green".
What about when the core of the Earth shuts down and starts to cool!? What will you do then, Canada!?
[QUOTE=Mad Chatter;32485558]What about when the core of the Earth shuts down and starts to cool!? What will you do then, Canada!?[/QUOTE] Then we all fucking die.
I don't know much about this, but wouldn't sucking the heat out of the earth be kind of...bad?
[QUOTE=Yogurt;32485630]I don't know much about this, but wouldn't sucking the heat out of the earth be kind of...bad?[/QUOTE] The friction of the tectonic plates moving causes a FUCKTON of heat, and they will never stop moving.
[QUOTE=Yogurt;32485630]I don't know much about this, but wouldn't sucking the heat out of the earth be kind of...bad?[/QUOTE] You aren't "sucking heat out of the earth", you are using the earths natural processes and capturing the energy from the results of those processes. The only real drawback to geothermal power is the amount of solid waste it produces and the fact that it can't be used everywhere due to the geography of certain places.
[QUOTE=doonbugie2;32485557]Looks like I'll have to up my power consumption, I'm sick of being "green".[/QUOTE] Nobody is forcing you to be "green" If you're doing it now it's either because you want to or because you need to save money
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485361] Sounds like they aren't filtering it properly because I've never heard of people in Iceland complaining and that country has a shitton of geothermal[/QUOTE] Those people have frozen noses, they can't smell it.
Cure for cancer, aids, stuff going faster than the speed of light, extreme sources of energy Science is having a good year
Woah. If Canada has that much geothermal energy potential, Norway must also have much geothermal energy potential. That coupled with the fact that we're huge on oil, yet our country is completely hyro-and-wind powered would make us like the largest energy creators per areal. Or at least per capita.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485361]Sounds like they aren't filtering it properly because I've never heard of people in Iceland complaining and that country has a shitton of geothermal[/QUOTE] I can confirm that, although you can smell it near open springs obviously. People usually roll their windows up when they drive past them. [editline]26th September 2011[/editline] I used to work at this big lagoon out in the country that's basically just a huge geothermal pool, and every morning when we arrived there were always a bunch of people looking around the bus thinking someone must have farted.
Who cares, no one will invest in it because it will take decades to turn a profit. [quote]It takes five to seven years to get a geothermal energy system operating[/quote] This is assuming that every works well, when in reality, tens of millions of dollars drill systems break all the time, and set the project back months at a time. Needs to be funded by the government.
[quote=Article]"Canada's in-place geothermal power exceeds one million times Canada's current electrical consumption," the report says.[/quote] [quote=Report]Canada's in-place geothermal power exceeds one million times Canada's current electrical consumption, although only a fraction of this can likely be produced[/quote] Still even with the sensationalism this is a great source of power which should be pursued. Most of the problems with it can be mitigated with careful management. If anyone else is interested the report is available [url=http://www.geopub.nrcan.gc.ca/moreinfo_e.php?id=288745]here.[/url]
[QUOTE=doonbugie2;32485557]Looks like I'll have to up my power consumption, I'm sick of being "green".[/QUOTE] Looks like you're a reactionary douchebag, I'm sick of being human
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32485361]I can't see us getting many geothermal plants any time soon. Big oil is helping to prop up our current government, they're definitely not going to start opening their own state-run plants and they're likely to make it a regulatory nightmare for the private sector to get in on it. [editline]26th September 2011[/editline] Sounds like they aren't filtering it properly because I've never heard of people in Iceland complaining and that country has a shitton of geothermal[/QUOTE] i live in the same town, it doesn't smell due to geothermal power it's just cause there's shitloads of hotpools everywhere
See, this is pretty much the reason why I'm not too afraid of all these "impending doom" theories. Our planet has so many resources, almost at every corner for us to utilize (and maybe even recycle) in order to survive. Hell, we might not know much about earth at all since we only explored like, 1% of it's entire mass.
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