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 By Simon Duck
Geothermal can be split into two main categories: one using “hot rock,” the other “warm soil” technology. Far more common, or commonly referred to, is the former. Hot rock technology is popular, but expensive to construct and restricted to suitable rock formations. But what about the other type?
Warm soil technology uses a shallow bore hole a few hundred feet deep and can be installed in almost any type of ground. The temperature of the soil is more stable than the air throughout the seasons, making it ideal for heating and cooling buildings. Ten meters (33 feet) down the temperature is generally about 13°C (55°F), but can range from 5°C (40°F) in very cold regions to 20°C (70°F) in extremely hot climates. This stability can be used with geoexchange heat pumps to transfer heat out of the ground in winter to heat buildings, and can be reversed to cool buildings in summer. Geoexchange is a common term for this type of energy use. |
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 By Nicole Robson
The Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) recently released the CanGEA Member Projects Database. The report, which outlines more than 70 different projects under development around the world, is a major step for the Canadian geothermal energy industry and the first of its kind for Canada.
According to the report, CanGEA members are currently working on developing more than 1,400 MW of new geothermal power, in addition to nearly 2,000 MW of currently installed geothermal capacity. The projects listed span four continents and 11 countries, giving CanGEA members a global reach in their operations. Although there is currently no geothermal power production in Canada, there are a number of projects under development that may soon come online to supply Canada’s first few megawatts of geothermal power. |
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The US geothermal power industry continued strong growth in 2009, according to a new report by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). The “April 2010 US Geothermal Power Production and Development Update” showed 26% growth in new projects under development in the United States in the past year, with 188 projects underway in 15 states, which could produce as much as 7,875 MW of new electric power. Once completed, these projects will add over 7,000 MW of baseload power capacity; enough to provide electricity for 7.6 million people, or 20% of California’s total power needs, and roughly equivalent to the total power used in California from coal-fired power plants.
“Geothermal power can be a critical part of the answer to global warming,” according to GEA’s executive director, Karl Gawell. “For example, California could achieve its 2020 goal for global warming emissions reductions just by keeping energy demand level and replacing its coal-fired generation with geothermal,” he asserted.
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 By Wendy Rinella
At a glance, a field of wind turbines or a solar panel farm may look like a simple development involving real property and clean energy equipment. On closer inspection, the variables involved in financing and closing these transactions are often multi-faceted and complex. Projects can cover many different types of land interests: private, lease-hold interests, as well as native and federal lands. Similarly, the security a lender will take to finance a project is not restricted to the real property. It may also extend to the moveable assets.
If you think about the assets of the wind farm, there are the fixed assets: the land and the concrete base for the turbine; while the wind turbine itself may be a moveable asset as it can be loaded onto a flatbed truck and moved to another location. As such, acquiring and securing interests on renewable energy developments poses a challenge for operators and lenders because of the multiple factors at play. One growing method of dealing with these challenges is the burgeoning use of title insurance to streamline transactions, reduce risk, and provide the lender with security for financing. Separate policies are available for owners, as well as for lenders to protect their respective interests in a deal. The cost of a title insurance policy is based on the value of the property transaction. It is a one-time fee with no deductible and stays with the lender or owner for as long as they maintain an interest in the property.
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