It used to be that drawing heat from deep in the Earth was practical only in geyser-filled places such as Iceland. But new approaches may have us on the cusp of an energy revolution.

Energy, government, and Indigenous leaders gather in Regina to explore geothermal and other ways to cut emissions. The conference highlighted real-world examples of progress, including Regina’s new Indoor Aquatic Centre, which uses geothermal energy — a first for a major facility in Canada.

Manitoba Hydro and Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) have signed a new five-year Collaboration Agreement that could pave the way for cleaner energy, reduced consumption, and expanded economic development in the community. A number of potential projects have already been identified, including district or individual ground-source heating systems

In August, members of the Barkley Project Group geothermal team joined the Acho Dene Koe First Nation in Fort Liard to advance the community’s geothermal project, an initiative designed to bring sustainable, local, clean energy to the region.

Geology was not kind to P.E.I. from the perspective of utilizing geothermal technology, said MacLeod. “There was a study done in 1983 that a fairly deep hole was drilled in Charlottetown just to try and quantify what geothermal uptake opportunity there was here,” she said.