Canada's Geothermal Resources Could Power the Country One Million Times Over

Canada's Geothermal Resources Could Power the Country One Million Times Over

Written by Megan Treacy on 19/09/11

Canada's federal Geological Survey Commission has released a report stating that the country's geothermal resources are so vast that they could power the country one million times over. Heavy concentrations of geothermal stores near the surface in the Northern and Western parts of Canada (including British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories) are the stars of the new report, though resources exist across the country.  A team of scientists from the agency said that as little as 100 projects could completely power the country while generating very few greenhouse gas emissions. Geothermal has its downsides, like high upfront costs and long construction times because of the tricky nature of drilling miles into the earth, but once a geothermal plant is operational, the energy is practically unlimited and -- unlike wind and solar -- constant. Countries like Iceland, Indonesia and St. Lucia have started relying on and even exporting energy from their large geothermal resources.  Canada could easily be next. http://www.ecogeek.org/index.php?start=22 via Montreal Gazette