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Could geothermal energy be the dark horse of Alberta’s clean energy movement? At the recent Geothermal Tech Transfer Workshop held at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, nearly 80 engineers, geoscientists, bankers, lawyers, facility procurers, and other specialists were in attendance seeking to learn more about the emerging geothermal industry in western Canada. The workshop had numerous sponsors, but was organized primarily by the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association. The introductory paragraph written to entice people to sign up for the workshop was revealing enough, reading “Geothermal energy is delivering clean, baseload and low-cost electricity in 24 countries around the world. Canada is still missing out on this opportunity. This workshop will target the question of how to transfer existing skills and expertise in oil/gas to geothermal project development. Low commodity prices and the economic downturn make this a hot topic.” Accessing and utilizing the energy trapped in hot, subsurface water systems is being successfully and economically ex- ploited in several countries, including the U.S., Germany, and Turkey. This resource is huge in western and northern Canada, and ironically is quite well studied, analyzed, and mapped, thanks to countless tests conducted in oil and gas well operations over many decades on hundreds of thousands of wells. Another irony is the untapped knowledge, experience, and creativity of thousands of technical experts now out of work due to the economically dampened oil and gas industry - people who could be put to work developing new and better ways to extract the heat energy available in familiar areas of the conventional oil patch. Aside from geothermal energy’s recognition disconnect, another gap exists in policy. Few jurisdictions in Canada have regulations in place or tax incentives to allow a geothermal energy industry to grow. S everal government agencies are currently reviewing various sources of power. For example, the Alberta Electric System Operator is seriously evaluating the potential of geothermal power generation. Will Geothermal Energy Revitalize Alberta's Energy Sector? Adapted from Information Provided by Rick Young, P.Geo. (ret.) Canadian Geothermal Energy Association Member Image courtesy of borealisgeopower.com Will Geothermal Energy cont’d on page 38. %5', 5%1( "5%9)56) )6257 %1( !3% '0) 25 025) -1*250%7-21 '%// 25 9-6-7 86 21/-1) 0-',-+%1+5281(:%7)5 '20 5-(%< )+-675%7-21 = ' //,-1)< )'785) = )+-6/%7-9) #3(%7) >!7%7) 2* %16-1+? = #3(%7) = " #3(%7) = "-36 *520 "2%670%67)56 > 2: 72 &) % &)77)5 63)%.)5 %1( 0%.) <285 &86-1)66 67%1( 287? = 8;-/-%5< 81'7-21 = 2'.7%-/6 = %148)7 %1( :%5(6 = 17)57%-10)17 = %6-12 -+,7 %1( -'52&5): $-1)5< 8(+-1+ !%785(%< )+-675%7-21 = $ 118%/ ))7-1+ = $ 81', %1( "5%() !,2: 7, 118%/ 219)17-21 %1( "5%() !,2: 21 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2017