Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities

Carson Kinney, Alireza Dehghani-Sanij, SeyedBijan Mahbaz, Maurice B. Dusseault, Jatin S. Nathwani and Roydon A. Fraser
Additional contact information
Carson Kinney: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Alireza Dehghani-Sanij: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
SeyedBijan Mahbaz: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Maurice B. Dusseault: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Jatin S. Nathwani: Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Roydon A. Fraser: Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-25

Abstract: The cold, remote, northern regions of Canada constitute a challenging environment for the provision of reliable energy and food supply to communities. A transition from fossil fuels to renewables-based sources of energy is one positive step in reducing the greenhouse gases from the energy supply system, which currently requires long-distance transport of diesel for electricity and heating needs. Geothermal energy can not only displace diesel for part of this energy need, it can provide a base-load source of local energy to support food production and mitigate adverse impacts of food insecurity on communities. In this proof-of-concept study, we highlight some potential benefits of using geothermal energy to serve Canada’s northern communities. Specifically, we focus on food security and evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of producing vegetables in a “controlled environment”, using ground sources of heat for energy requirements at three remote locations—Resolute Bay, Nunavut, as well as Moosonee and Pagwa in Ontario. The system is designed for geothermal district heating combined with efficient use of nutrients, water, and heat to yield a diverse crop of vegetables at an average cost up to 50% lower than the current cost of these vegetables delivered to Resolute Bay. The estimates of thermal energy requirements vary by location (e.g., they are in the range of 41 to 44 kW of thermal energy for a single greenhouse in Resolute Bay). To attain adequate system size to support the operation of such greenhouses, it is expected that up to 15% of the annually recommended servings of vegetables can be provided. Our comparative analysis of geothermal system capital costs shows significantly lower capital costs in Southern Ontario compared to Northern Canada—lower by one-third. Notwithstanding high capital costs, our study demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of producing vegetables cost-effectively in the cold northern climate. This suggests that geothermal energy systems can supply the heat needed for greenhouse applications in remote northern regions, supplying a reliable and robust source of cost-competitive sustainable energy over the long-term and providing a basis for improved food security and economic empowerment of communities.

Keywords: Renewable and sustainable energy; Geothermal; Greenhouse; Food security; Cold and remote regions; Climate change; Economic development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4058/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4058/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:21:p:4058-:d:280011

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().