Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities
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 sys...
Published in: | Energies |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214058 https://doaj.org/article/36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a 2023-05-15T17:13:17+02:00 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 Roydon A. Fraser 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214058 https://doaj.org/article/36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4058 https://doaj.org/toc/1996-1073 1996-1073 doi:10.3390/en12214058 https://doaj.org/article/36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a Energies, Vol 12, Iss 21, p 4058 (2019) renewable and sustainable energy geothermal greenhouse food security cold and remote regions climate change economic development Technology T article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214058 2022-12-30T20:40:50Z 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 ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Moosonee Nunavut Resolute Bay Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Nunavut Canada Resolute Bay ENVELOPE(-94.842,-94.842,74.677,74.677) Energies 12 21 4058 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
renewable and sustainable energy geothermal greenhouse food security cold and remote regions climate change economic development Technology T |
spellingShingle |
renewable and sustainable energy geothermal greenhouse food security cold and remote regions climate change economic development Technology T Carson Kinney Alireza Dehghani-Sanij SeyedBijan Mahbaz Maurice B. Dusseault Jatin S. Nathwani Roydon A. Fraser Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
topic_facet |
renewable and sustainable energy geothermal greenhouse food security cold and remote regions climate change economic development Technology T |
description |
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 ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carson Kinney Alireza Dehghani-Sanij SeyedBijan Mahbaz Maurice B. Dusseault Jatin S. Nathwani Roydon A. Fraser |
author_facet |
Carson Kinney Alireza Dehghani-Sanij SeyedBijan Mahbaz Maurice B. Dusseault Jatin S. Nathwani Roydon A. Fraser |
author_sort |
Carson Kinney |
title |
Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
title_short |
Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
title_full |
Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
title_fullStr |
Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geothermal Energy for Sustainable Food Production in Canada’s Remote Northern Communities |
title_sort |
geothermal energy for sustainable food production in canada’s remote northern communities |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214058 https://doaj.org/article/36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-94.842,-94.842,74.677,74.677) |
geographic |
Nunavut Canada Resolute Bay |
geographic_facet |
Nunavut Canada Resolute Bay |
genre |
Moosonee Nunavut Resolute Bay |
genre_facet |
Moosonee Nunavut Resolute Bay |
op_source |
Energies, Vol 12, Iss 21, p 4058 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4058 https://doaj.org/toc/1996-1073 1996-1073 doi:10.3390/en12214058 https://doaj.org/article/36b8d01cdea84b41b38d6b7f13fcc83a |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214058 |
container_title |
Energies |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
21 |
container_start_page |
4058 |
_version_ |
1766070238617534464 |