24 APRIL 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Geothermal Energy Systems Coming to Québec Schools Adapted from Information by Polytechnique Montréal Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of the largest engineering education and research institutions in Canada. Polytechnique Montréal, Hydro-Québec Research Institute, the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal, the Centre de services scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles, the Centre de services scolaire des Samares, Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY Research Centre, the Université de Montréal, and companies Versaprofiles and Marmott Energy have aligned forces with the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve building energy efficiency. The partners officially launched Project Alliance - an initiative focussed on the use of geothermal standing column wells (SCWs) to supply energy to commercial and institutional buildings in Québec. Polytechnique Montréal’s Professor Philippe Pasquier will lead a team of ten researchers to create demonstration projects in three Québec schools, as well as 24 complimentary research activities, over five years. Different than closed-loop geothermal systems, SCWs are drilled some 1600 feet down, and use immediately available groundwater. As a result, SCWs do not take up extensive space, and represent a promising option to reduce drain on the power grid during peak periods. Despite this promise, the adoption of SCW technology has been slow in Canada, largely due to the system’s complexity, lack of demonstration projects, lack of qualified industry-specific labor, and the fear groundwater will be negatively affected. Professor Pasquier’s Team will seek to resolve and remove each one of these barriers to widespread SCW adoption and use. A total of $2.7 million of funding for the project came as $1 million from Hydro-Québec and $1.1 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; other partners will provide labor contributions valued at $1.1 million. The team’s work is already underway, with field trials having lead to the construction of the first SCW at Mirabel’s École Clé-des-Champs primary school. “SCWs have already been used for some 30 years in the northeastern United States. Their strength resides in the massive thermal power they create, which makes them a very cost-effective approach versus conventional geothermal energy production in use right now. The absence of demonstration projects and of experienced labor in Canada represents a major stumbling block to SCW deployment. We have great hope that this project will change that, while at the same time confirm SCW’s safety in terms of groundwater, ” Professor Pasquier stated. GEO Image by Massouh bioMEDia for Polytechnique Montréal. Atlantis Vault • Self-Contained • Simple installation • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com June Issue Deadlines! Space Reservation: April 25th Display & Classified Ad Copy: May 1st
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