GeoPower In The Oil Sands
My feature in today’s Toronto Star takes a look at the potential for enhanced geothermal systems as an alternative to natural gas in the oil sands. Major oil companies have quietly formed a consortium called GeoPower In The Oil Sands that is exploring the clean resource in an attempt to reduce emissions that result from oil sands production. Heat in the Earth’s crust could supply enough hot water and steam to replace natural gas use, offering some hope of sustainable expansion of the Athabasca sands.
This story comes in the wake of a recent MIT-led report that concluded there was huge potential for tapping geothermal energy if we can drill deep enough. It turns out the technologies for doing this have advanced at an amazing pace and the oil industry can leverage its own skills and experience in this area.
This is an exciting development that I hope our governments can support — both financially and politically. In fact, two expert panellists from the MIT-led study say Canada should establish its own expert panel to study enhanced geothermal applications for the oil sands and other areas of the country (even Ontario).
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
February 11th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Since natural gas production in Western Canada has peaked, and is not far from significant declines, it is very important that the oil sands processors find another source of energy. My experience in Western Canada indicates that 500 meters is not deep enough to get the water temperature required. 1000 to 1500 meters should be enough. I wish them good luck. Bill
February 11th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Interesting article.
I am not really a fan of anything hydrocarbon, but efficiency is a good step in the right direction for most industries. The only problem with this in the Oil Sands is the frightful prospect that it would make extraction cheaper and therefore increase the overall production levels – and in turn the emissions. No matter how clean we make the oil sand’s, it’s still not going to compete with other true renewable resources.
Honestly, if we are going to be extracting energy from the earth in the form of geothermal power, we may as well put it to use as electrical energy to feed the grid so we can shut down coal plants by making them obsolete.
One interesting thing in your article is the Teachers Union and the investment funding they are providing to the Oil sands and the coal industry. One would think that the teachers union – out of all the unions – should be required to hold a little more social and environmental responsibility within its portfolio. Although it’s not overly surprising that they don’t really care about the future of todays youth tomorrow. It would make for an interesting investigation.. don’t you think?
February 11th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
If geothermal can supply useful cost effective thermal energy to process bitumin, then it should also be cost effective for other purposes too. If the financial resources of the oil companies can be turned to unlock deep earth geothermal, that would be good. In the meantime, the future of such carbon intensive fossil fuels such as the oil sands is surely a dicey propostion on the 25 year level as some form of carbon cap or tax takes hold. The proposition of a good return on investment at the tar sands in a world that must reduce fossil fuel usage by 90% is not my idea of a good prospect. There only hope is sequestration, and that is very embryonic at the moment. I am glad I do not own real estate in Alberta.
Fascinating times.
Cheers