BOREALIS GEOTHERMAL
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Sustainability
    • Recognition
  • Fuel Switch Assessment
  • Consulting
    • What We Do
    • Techniques and Methods
  • Projects
    • Fuel for Reconciliation
    • Sustainaville
  • News
  • Careers
  • Contact

NEWS

A GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR POWER

6/12/2015

 
CTVNEWS: Pilot project to transform oil industry waste water into geothermal energyCALGARY — In a few weeks a generator in North Dakota will fire up, powered by nothing more than waste water from an oil well.
The pilot project is designed to show that it’s possible to generate geothermal electricity from the boiling water that comes out of the wells.
The concept is something Alison Thompson, managing director of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, has long been calling for in Canada’s oilpatch.
“We’ve been advocating for many years to do what we’ll call the hot sedimentary-style geothermal, which is really no more than taking what the oil and gas companies are already producing and running it through a little turbine right at their site.”
Canada produces huge amounts of geothermal power, but so far none of it is being used to generate electricity, Thompson said.
“We just actually bring up all that potential to the surface and then do nothing with it. It’s actually treated as a waste or a cost to the company.”
She equates the waste to the gas flaring that was common across Alberta until stricter regulations came in to curb the practice in 2000. She says either higher carbon pricing or more regulation would encourage companies to try the technology, but there isn’t enough incentive now.
Will Gosnold, a researcher at the University of North Dakota who is leading the pilot project, said that during the shale boom in recent years no one was interested in fiddling with extra equipment, but with oil prices low, companies are looking at any way to save money.
“Now things have slowed down due to the price decrease and they’re looking at ways to cut costs, and this is one way they could cut their electrical power cost by generating their own electricity.”
The pilot project in North Dakota, which is being developed with energy company Continental Resources Inc., cost about US$3.5 million and includes several years of research and development. Gosnold said if the pilot project is successful, new geothermal units could be constructed at a cost of US$250,000 each.
The two generators on site have a combined 250 kilowatt hour capacity, which Gosnold estimates could mean about US$150,000 in annual energy cost savings in total. At 250 kwh, the generators would produce enough power to meet the annual needs of about 300 homes.
Gosnold hopes that once the pilot plant starts operating, other companies will see the economic and environmental benefits.
“We’re trying to get their attention, and we’re really hoping our demo project will do that,” said Gosnold.
Interest in the technology is picking up in Alberta since the NDP were elected, said Craig Dunn, chief geologist at Calgary-based Borealis Geopower.
“There’s more and more interest, especially when we’re talking about in Alberta the NDP government, opportunities for a new carbon regime — that’s driving a lot of people to ask these questions.”
Borealis Geopower tried to develop a similar project a few years ago but with a water temperature of 85 degrees Celsius, the project didn’t end up working, Dunn said.
He said while that initiative failed, there are many other oil wells in Western Canada that run hotter than 120 C, meaning they would have a better chance of succeeding.
“That is a geothermal resource development opportunity for power,” said Dunn.
    Project
    Partnership
    Announcement
    with
    Shell Canada

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    October 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    RSS Feed

    Interested in
    Borealis?

    Click here
     to Visit our
    Consulting page.

Contact US

LinkedIn
Email

TAKE OUR FUEL SWITCH ASSESSMENT:

Fuel Switch Assessment
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Sustainability
    • Recognition
  • Fuel Switch Assessment
  • Consulting
    • What We Do
    • Techniques and Methods
  • Projects
    • Fuel for Reconciliation
    • Sustainaville
  • News
  • Careers
  • Contact