Type:
Research Report, Student Research
Link:
Mapping Techno-Economic Feasibility of Geothermal Resources in Alberta, Canada
Citation:
Brasnett, G., Hickson, C., & Shor, R. J. (2023). Mapping Techno-Economic Feasibility of Geothermal Resources in Alberta, Canada. Proceedings, 48th Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering. Stanford, California.
Abstract:
Identifying favorable locations to place geothermal projects typically starts with evaluating the geothermal gradient in a region; however, the feasibility of a project also depends on ease and costs of drilling, proximity to customers to offtake excess heat energy, and numerous practical factors. This research meshes a variable-price model with multiple geospatial data sets using a geographic information systems (GIS) platform to produce a map set illustrating the status of geothermal energy prospects for both electrical generation and direct-use applications in the province of Alberta, Canada. By combining several map layers, a region’s suitability for geothermal projects is categorized by evaluating multiple technical and economic criteria. Costs and potential revenues associated with development are estimated to provide an overview of geothermal energy’s economic viability across the province with a net present value (NPV) calculation. The resulting interactive maps model a picture of the estimated feasibility of geothermal energy in Alberta under varying techno-economic scenarios for 40°C, 80°C, 120°C, and 150°C resource temperatures. Economically favorable locations for geothermal project development generally occurred in the Western portion of the province where Precambrian basement rock is deepest, along existing infrastructure corridors, and near population centers or industrial facilities to off-take heat energy. Reducing drilling costs expands the number of economically viable sites across the province; depending on the resource temperature scenario investigated, a 20% reduction in estimated drilling costs results in 30-300% more locations across the province modeled with a positive NPV.
Keywords:
Geothermal, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Mapping, Techno-Economic, Low-Temperature Geothermal