Site C hydropower project critics see energy from Earth's core as hydro alternative but finding suitable sources in B.C. can cost a fortune
If you are looking for proven renewable energy technology that is clean, firm and cost-competitive, geothermal power looks hard to beat – at first blush.
Unlike wind or solar, which are intermittent, geothermal power plants provide electricity around the clock, and the energy source is free: the heat from the Earth. It’s mature technology that has been used in Italy for more than a century.
Geothermal power plants are comparatively cheap to build, and they have a much smaller environmental footprint than hydroelectric dams.
Situated as it is within the Pacific Ring of Fire, B.C. has some of the best potential geothermal assets in Canada and is home to Alterra Power Corp., which owns and operates two geothermal power plants in Iceland and one in Nevada.
“We’re really in a unique spot in B.C., with so many available fuels,” said Paul Kariya, executive director for Clean Energy BC.
“But why don’t we have any commercial operation of solar or geothermal or tidal, when these are proven technologies elsewhere in the world? It’s probably because we’re not a subsidized industry.”
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