Investigating energy

ANTIGONISH - A new project is underway at St. Francis Xavier University that will look at the potential for geothermal and wind energy sources in Atlantic Canada.
The project is about examining the long-term development and sustainability of geothermal and wind energy, explains Hugo Beltrami, one of the project co-leaders along with Grant Ferguson and Lisa Kellman.
Climate change, he says, may present concerns for the long-term development of wind energy.
"What we need to know is whether the wind patterns we have today will change in the future at particular locations because of climate change."
They will also examine how geothermal energy can be used and its sustainability over time. Geothermal energy is already being used in a limited form in Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada, says Beltrami.
"With today's technology you could cut your energy costs in half if you installed a geothermal heating system in your house," he says.
But in doing so, you're going to be taking heat from a section of the ground. That may not be a concern at first, but after a long period of time this could affect the thermal regime of the ground. In other words, you're taking so much heat from the ground that there won't be enough left for your neighbours. The project, therefore, will examine "how much energy can be taken from the ground, and for how long. And if so, how many other people nearby will be affected by this."
Wind energy research includes analysing wind probability distributions and predicting regional windfields with regard to possible future climate scenarios. Meanwhile, geothermal energy research involves creating a database of geophysical parameters, in other words, the permeability of the ground, and its thermal properties. They will then take the collected information and examine it with regard to probable future climates.
The projects cost an estimated $2.5 million. The university will receive more than $1.7 million of that sum from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a five-year period. The AIF fund was announced in January by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
So, why is a project like this necessary? "The costs of overcoming climate change is huge," Beltrami says. "I think people have realized it's cheaper to do this kind of research and look for new ways of doing things than to simply wait for it to happen."
Grant Ferguson says the cost factor is also a major selling point of the project.
"(Wind energy and geothermal energy) are both cheaper in the end, and that's how you sell it to industry," he says.
He says another factor to consider is the recent trend of carbon labeling, whereby food products are advertising carbon footprints. It's a trend that has caught on in Europe and could spread to North America. "If that becomes the next big thing, we're not in good shape in the Maritimes, especially in Nova Scotia as with most of our food products we're requiring energy from fossil fuels to make them."
He adds: "If we can look at finding another way to produce energy that doesn't include fossil fuels, we'll be all the better for it."