Why geothermal is the better option than natural gas in Alberta, Canada
Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada (source: flickr/ MissusK (Cindy), creative commons)
Francisco Rojas
11 Feb 2015
CanGEA re-releases Alberta Geothermal Resource Favourability Maps to identify geothermal as a superior base load alternative to the on-going coal phase out
If Alberta was its own country it would have the highest per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world. In total, Alberta generates ~90% of its power from fossil fuels, which negatively affects the health of Albertans and Canada’s ability to meet its international GHG reductions commitments.
The Alberta government currently plans to use natural gas fired power plants as the base load replacement for coal in its half century phase out. However, recent studies show the environmental footprint of burning natural gas could be even worse than coal.
Geothermal energy could serve as the base load source of power for a renewable energy alternative. This could enable other renewables such as solar, wind and run-of-river to be incorporated onto the grid, solving the issues that arise from relying upon natural gas. CanGEA’s Geothermal Favourability Maps and Resource Estimates show that geothermal can contribute to the base load capacity in Alberta.
To demonstrate this, CanGEA has re-released the Alberta Geothermal Resource Estimate Maps along with a report titled: “Un-Natural Gas: Alberta’s Dirty Substitute for Geothermal“. You can access the backgrounder for free on our website, as well as the full 44-page report via our publications series.
If you are in the Vancouver or Calgary areas, please see below for our upcoming events!
Source: CanGEA
