[Mathgod]

Excellent column in the Globe & Mail, a must read.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opin...in-geothermal/

Carbon emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas are propelling a stunning rise in global temperature: The four months through September were 0.44 C warmer than the same months just eight years ago, at the start of the last major El Niño cycle. In 2024, we’re likely to cross the critical 1.5 C ceiling – a level of warming that scientists say will entail catastrophic consequences – and stay close to or above that threshold thereafter.

The global transition from fossil fuels to zero-carbon energy will require a massive increase in electricity production from renewable sources. Wind and solar power will be essential contributors. Yet weather-related blackouts, challenges in financing offshore wind in Europe, and Alberta’s moratorium on new renewable projects show that relying largely on wind and solar is risky. The world needs additional sources of green electricity to meet skyrocketing demand.

This is why a worldwide race for next-generation geothermal technology has begun – and why Canada needs to get serious about joining, lest it fall to the back of the alternative-energy pack.

Geothermal power taps thermal energy radiating from the Earth’s interior to the surface, conducted through subsurface rocks and fluids. We can access this heat by drilling into hot rock and channelling heat-bearing water back to the surface through a production well to generate electricity. Today, we can do this only where natural reservoirs of hot water lie close to the surface – generally less than five kilometres deep – but the true prize lies eight to 15 kilometres down in hard rock with supercritical temperatures, where there’s enough energy to potentially meet the world’s future electrical needs thousands of times over.