Source: Nunatsiaq News
Project Title: Integrated techno-economic assessment of community-scale geothermal facilities for Nunavik
Project Partners
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Concordia
University – SEISE Lab The Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure Systems Engineering Lab (SEISE), led by Dr. Nasiri, is at the forefront of systems engineering solutions for sustainable energy applications: https://users.encs.concordia.ca/~fuzhan/ |
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BBA Inc. An independent Canadian consulting engineering firm involved in off-grid, remote and isolated communities where energy production, consumption and management are the forefront of challenges encountered: https://www.bba.ca/ |
Funding
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NSERC Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council of Canada |
Project Description
The project aims at identifying the technical and economic feasibility of geothermal systems in the Nunavik region. The project focuses on different aspects of geothermal technology implementation.
1. Geothermal well potential
The project aims at identifying what type of geothermal approach is most valuable and practical for the Nunavik region. Parameters investigated include:
§ Soil thermal storage capability
§ Well depth
§ Available geothermal energy
§ Well type
§ Permafrost stability
2. DHS
implementation considering geothermal recovery integration
The aim is at valorizing geothermal energy through its integration into a district heating system (DHS). The geothermal system can possibly be used as a heat source or as a thermal storage solution on a diurnal or seasonal basis. Parameters investigated include:
§ Maximum coverage of buildings
§ Diesel fuel displacement
§ Integration to an existing diesel power plant
§ Pipeline geospatial distribution
§ Social acceptance
The above issues shall be addressed while minimizing the cost and frequency of maintenance. This could be achieved by reducing over-maintenance through prioritization of the components according to their impact on availability of geothermal facilities. The reliability, service continuity, and maintenance profile of geothermal facilities are of particular importance for remote communities in northern Canada with extreme weather conditions and lack of permanent means of transportation to major cities limiting their access to maintenance services.
BBA and Concordia hope that this project will promote the technical feasibility and economic efficiency of geothermal energy generation in the northern Quebec, improving the energy security and resilience of these communities by providing a local source of energy, as well as, enhancing the sustainability of these communities by fostering energy production from a renewable source.
The research partnership team involves graduate students at Concordia (Masoud Rezaei and Arash Yazdizad), and key experts at BBA led by Mr. Jean-Philippe Castonguay and Mr. Dave Olsthoorn. The project is made possible through funding of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and in alignment with the Institut Nordique du Québec (INQ) initiatives.