B.C.’s Geothermal Power Pipe Dream

Geothermal hot springs | BCBusiness
Wherever the water bubbles, there’s geothermal power waiting to be tapped.

The Feds have produced a report that says there are untold amounts of energy in hot spots beneath the earth’s surface. Unfortunately, that’s a ho-hum story in B.C.

A team of 12 scientists led by the Geological Survey of Canada has discovered that there is a massive store of energy in the ground throughout Canada that could replace all our current “dirty” energy supply.

Yes, folks, we’re talking about geothermal energy, which probably everyone over 12 years old in B.C. knows about. However, it took 12 scientists to figure out that if we could tap into the blast furnace at the earth’s core that leaks up to near its surface through fissures, we wouldn’t need gigantic dams, or nuclear power plants, or any of the other methods we use to create power in this country.

And because we’re part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, B.C. has more of these closer-to-the-surface fissures than most of Canada. Wherever there’s a hot spring – and there are many – there is geothermal energy nearby.

As a result, say the scientists, B.C. could produce as much energy – 1,100 megawatts – as the planned $7.9 billion Site C hydroelectric dam.

But maybe we should hold our enthusiasm a bit here. Knowing that there are gazillons of watts of geothermal energy down there doesn’t make tapping it a viable option. Engineers in B.C. have been trying to access geothermal energy, most notably near Meagre Creek near Pemberton, for generations.

They haven’t been successful yet.

For one, the technology to safely tap these energy sources isn’t there yet. Also, most source locations are remote, which involves horrendous expenses to not only reach the resources in the aforementioned remote locations, but then build corresponding electric-power plants to harvest the resource. Next up is even more expensive transmission lines to move that power to urban areas.

Sure, there’s a similar problem with dams, but they’re already there. Only the Site C dam would be new, and I’m not sure if a geothermal facility would do as good of a job, at least for now.

For instance, there’s the environmental consideration. Much of the population is already worried about things they know about, like dams and run-of-river power plants. How do you think they’ll feel if someone proposes befouling some pristine wilderness with massive geothermal power plants (and their corresponding power transmission lines)?

I’d like to see us use “clean” and natural geothermal energy as much as the next guy. It makes sense on paper.

But, while it’s a nice thought that we can just tap into the earth for power, a la Iceland (where most people literally live on top of the resource), it’s really a pipe dream at this point in B.C.

Just as with other resource stories in B.C., having it is one thing, but reaching and using it is another.

If engineers can dream up a way to access this power while at the same time minimizing the harm that would do, then, and only then, can we become a geothermal . . . uh . . . powerhouse.