Why geothermal?
Geothermal energy is an internationally recognized clean, sustainable and renewable source of affordable heat and power. It is obtained by pulling hot water from deep below the earth’s surface and running it through a turbine to produce electricity with low or no emissions. After the hot water is used to make clean electricity, and before the water is reinjected, the remaining heat can be used for a variety of commercial, industrial, or entrepreneurial endeavours, including fish farming, greenhouse heating, district heating, pasteurization, material drying and snow melting. 24 countries have already built geothermal power plants and Canada is not among them. We continue to burn fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas in Canada to power our electric grid, while geothermal power plant development remains blocked by political red tape.
You deserve cleaner and better energy. Be part of the change and submit the below letter to your elected officials.
Send this letter to your MP and MLA:
Dear Elected Official,
As a voter in your constituency, I’m contacting you to let you know about Canada’s Geothermal potential, and to advocate for its use. Geothermal energy is the Earth’s own internal heat, and is incredibly versatile. Some examples of its uses include: greenhouse agriculture, refrigeration, space heating, tourism, and electrical generation. While particularly visible in the western provinces, Geothermal resources are found throughout all of Canada., With this renewable form of energy, we can use Canadian expertise in sub-surface resource development to create sustainable and permanent jobs.
Last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance “Creating the Conditions for Economic Growth: Tools for People, Businesses, and Communities” stated that;
“Because Canada is part of a global community that is focused on protecting the environment and addressing climate change, the Committee recommends…[t]hat the Government of Canada take action to support and encourage Canada’s geothermal sector.”
The Canadian Geothermal Industry has identified the following 4 points as key ways to fairly support geothermal, and expand our country’s green energy and economic growth:
- 1. Wind turbines have an exception written in to the CRCE technical guide for test turbines, CanGEA members are looking for similar treatment for geothermal facilities.
- a. The exception was created because wind generators must prospect an uncertain resource, the wind. Geothermal by virtue of being several kilometres beneath the surface is a resource which requires prospecting.
- i. For example, wind electrical generators are able to claim up to 20% of the maximum nameplate generation for their projects as permanent test facilities.
- 2. Geothermal projects should be able to hold Canadian Resource Property (CRP) as the development of the resource requires provincial/territorial permits and leases but by virtue of being a renewable energy it is not able to hold CRP.
- a. Granting access to CRP would allow geothermal to claim permit/leasing fees that hydrocarbon and mining developments are able to do.
- 3. The Class 43.1 ACCA allows other renewable electricity producers to claim transmission expenses.
- a) This represents a currently unfair burden on geothermal electricity production as compared to the other CRCE eligible generators.
- i. Geothermal’s previous inability to claim storage was an imbalance already addressed in the 2016 budget.
ii. CanGEA is willing to discuss a cap set on the distance to interconnection for eligible transmission expenses and ask to be treated with equality with other renewable energies.
- 4. The federal government has previously funded other renewable electricity generators through the Wind Power Production Incentive, Renewable Power Production Incentive, and the Eco-Energy for Renewable Power, but geothermal electricity was unable to take advantage of any of these programs. There was also an Eco-Energy for Heat program which specifically excluded geothermal. CanGEA requests that a Geothermal (heat and/or power) Production Incentive program be instituted to give our industry the same start up support received by others.
- a. This recommendation is fully detailed in CanGEA’s submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance’s 2017 pre-budget consultations.
When the opportunity comes for you to comment on programs and regulations, I ask that you support geothermal by making sure the 4 recommendations written here are present so that Canada can be a richer, more sustainable place.
Your information
Your postal code and province are required to select your local elected officials that will appear below. A copy of the email will also be sent to the Prime Minister, Federal Minister of Natural Resources, and Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change as well.