Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Leading-edge researchers forecast wind, solar and water power will become our primary energy sources. CanGEA, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, suggests geothermal energy can be a mainstay in our future energy grid. Ground-based heat pumps, often called geothermal energy exchange, are used to heat and cool many Canadian homes. Deep geothermal energy produces electricity and provides heat derived several thousand metres below the Earth's surface. Canada has no commercial geothermal power plants, despite CanGEA Reports stating we have abundant potential and expertise. Canadian energy companies are operating geothermal power plants elsewhere around the world. A recent study of Canada’s geothermal potential suggests there is great capacity for geothermal energy production in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Under the right conditions, geothermal energy is generally cheaper than all other forms of electricity generation over the entire life span of a power plant, according to a 2009 report f