Was great to have the chance to chat about Canada's geothermal opportunity - and how the Canadian Deep Geothermal Coalition is working to turn potential into reality.

Don't miss this compelling talk on the promise of geothermal energy. The Earth's internal heat - geothermal energy - is our next energy revolution. But we need to try harder! If we do, it can change everything.

We may look back on this as a watershed moment in Canada's journey to geothermal superpower. Yesterday in Ottawa, the Cascade Institute convened leaders from industry, government, Indigenous organizations, and civil society to forge an alliance that will advance deep geothermal energy in Canada.

Grateful for the chance to join Nick Cestari on the CORE Knowledge podcast and talk about @cascadeinstitute.bsky.social's work to position Canada as a leader on geothermal power www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

"Canada can build a full value chain in geothermal — from exploration and drilling to technological development and export — ensuring that innovation... drives economic growth. But this opportunity won’t last forever... the window for Canada to secure a leadership position is narrowing."

'How much does diesel-fired power cost' in Canada's North is a complex question. This analysis done for Qulliq does a great job outlining the main cost drivers of diesel-fired power - and illustrating how utilities think about costs and benefits www.assembly.nu.ca/sites/defaul...

Ethanol in shambles

Electricity is vital to energy security. Net zero or not - growing power demand is baked in. In fact, we'll use nearly as much electricity under 'Business as Usual' as we would under Net Zero. Expanding the supply of reliable and affordable power is essential no matter what future we choose.

How Canada Can Lead Now in Geothermal Energy Innovation - from @emily-smejkal.bsky.social thefutureeconomy.ca/op-eds/how-c...

"A successful ‘innovation nation’ strategy will need more than individual procurement and support decisions... We need a strategy to ensure that rising Canadian firms have access to the supports they need for growth and scale" Yup! And focused, granular actions tailored to each sector's needs.

Not new - but great paper on the techno-economics of electrifying marine shipping. Larger ships lose less cargo space - which I found surprising - but long routes face challenges. That said - analysis used an SCC of US$43/tonne, which is probably much too low www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Global commodity cycles are a chronic challenge for communities and workers that depend on them. But what if there was a steady & stable work for Canada's oil and gas industry? Geothermal power can provide a countercyclical force to mitigate the impact of global trends on Canadian communities

AOSTRA's Underground Test Facility catalyzed the in situ oil sands sector. The impact was transformative for Alberta and Canada - one of the best examples of Canadian industrial policy. But maybe more importantly, AOSTRA made some sweet hats, and at least one still exists. 💡🔌

DR may need some PR. To be fair - this Instragrammer raises a great point about the need for accurate price signals for *everyone*. If we're going to ask people to turn off ACs in heat waves, it needs to make sense to them. I propose... www.instagram.com/reel/DMp80FJ...

LCOE is the most useful metric we have in electricity. Yes: its Achilles' Heel is comparing renewables to baseload. Pure garbage! But LCOE is great at understanding so many other important questions. Achilles' had a weakness, but is still the GOAT. Nothing's perfect.

Geothermal power costs look flat - but don't be deceived. Projects are shifting from high temperature (Flash, yellow) to lower-temperature (Binary, orange). Even without broad EGS deployment, we're seeing geothermal push the boundaries of what's possible. And capex is down ~30% since 20212.

Clean baseload has tremendous value to grids. But that value isn't infinite. As costs of traditional baseload generation capacity rises - what premium should we be willing to pay? I don't think there's an easy answer. Some thoughts:

Excited to see how 'double-decker' wind turbines stack up. This design would be 300m tall - nearly *triple* the average hub height of a US onshore wind turbine. Why go so high? Wind power is highly sensitive to wind speeds, which increase with height.

Does it matter if data centres connect to the grid? Limiting connection *might* ease pressure on rates. But so long as data centres are competing for the same generation equipment, cost pressures will spill over as utilities face rising costs for new generation.

Could geothermal power be for DAC what steam power was for coal? New study finds that powering DAC with geothermal could drive down the cost of DAC to $100/ ton. As next-gen geothermal redefines what's possible it could be a key source of energy needed to bring the world back below 1.5C.

The West must pivot from trade war to collaboration to challenge China's tech leadership How? The, "...government operates big venture funds that expect ... a low success rate for any single company or project and a larger success rate in spurring new industries" www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...

Webinar: Cascade Institute Ultradeep Geothermal fellow Emily Smejkal will present her new report, Groundwork, which identifies best practices from the 10 top geothermal power producers globally. Hosted by: @unesco.org IGPC63, on July 24, at 9AM PDT. Learn more: view.genially.com/68701a44140a...

Gas-fired turbine costs look like they're climbing in Canada too. SK's Great Plains plant opened in 2024, and cost $825M for 377 MW - $2200 / kW. The 370 MW Aspen plant, scheduled for 2027-28 - will cost 1.4 -1.7 billion. That's about $3800 - 4600 / kW.

Canada needs bold innovation to play to its strengths. A new report from the Business Council of Canada calls for a Canadian ARPA-E. At the Cascade Institute, we agree: targeted R&D can unlock the next big thing—like geothermal. 📘 thebusinesscouncil.ca/report/selli...

Amidst DOE cuts, US funding for geothermal is about to surge. Historically, geothermal has been underfunded relative to other renewables. So it's an important opportunity to move the needle and match the gains we've seen in wind and solar. But innovation systems are global - and that means...

Amazing how far directional drilling has come in the past 30 years

Once more for for folks in the back: North America's struggles w/ EVs are not the global experience. Our industry just lags China's. Ford CEO recognizes the "quality of their vehicles is far superior to what I see in the West" www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com... via @theglobeandmail.com

Opened up the System Advisor Model to see it's been updated to include improved resolution on geothermal power. 🌋🔌

Paging @pjpartington.bsky.social

"If we now recognize we’re a real country worth defending, the implication is that we want to be good allies again – and dangerous enemies to bad actors."

My piece for the @nationalobserver.com Canada’s hidden heat: why regulatory harmonization is key to a geothermal breakthrough. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/06/24/o...

Driving out of Zaragoza in Northern Spain and Im blown away by the deployment of wind. This photo really doesnt do it justice - it just never ends

Ottawa & Edmonton don't always see eye to eye. But geothermal power can create common ground. Geothermal uses O&G expertise to generate clean power - and can help Canada become a conventional & clean energy superpower. My latest in the @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

If you've ever wondered what space solar costs, you're in luck. Joule has published a study that looks at exactly that. www.cell.com/joule/fullte...

What's worse than regulations? No regs at all. As Canada grapples w/ regulatory barriers to energy projects, it's easy to see regs as red tape. But the absence of regs for geothermal is a major barrier. This report looks at how good rules enable industry to invest, build, and compete.

Energy innovation = industrial strategy. The US DOE's Eastern Gas Shale Program returned $10-20 for every $ invested in unconventional gas tech. That's just tax revenues. Savings from lower gas prices - and the associated economic benefits - are additional. And don't forget energy security

Too often we focus on reducing cost > enhancing performance. Shale gas technology is a great example. It wasn't too expensive - it just wasn't any good!

It's hard to imagine what next-gen geothermal could *really* mean for the world. 15 years after the shale revolution, the world is still reacting to abundant supplies of cheap gas. What if geothermal power became available overnight? Energy security. Clean electricity. Yes, please.

No but seriously, should climate activism have been laser focused on the United Nations Statistical Commission this entire time? They change how GDP is calculated, deciding what to internalize and externalize, which drives basically all economic (and therefore climate) policy. #Climate 🔧🌏 🔌💡 💚 ⚡

New West of Centre from @kathleenpetty.bsky.social cuts through the catch phrases dominating the 'build baby build' discussion in Canada. A must listen for nuanced and insightful discussion about the challenges facing major projects in Canada. www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-p...

As the world's richest man has a drug-fueled tantrum with the President, one has to wonder: Maybe - just maybe - the market isn't the perfect meritocracy it's been made out to be.

BC has opened its Request For Expressions of Interest In Capacity! Following two calls for energy, the RFEOI signals the value of baseload power - like geothermal - and an intent to explore new strategies to deploy it. www.bchydro.com/work-with-us...

2025 World Energy Investment report from the @iea.org hits the nail on the head - we're entering the Age of Electricity - driven in part by the dominance of EVs

Canada needs to re-think its approach to innovation and how it can drive productivity. AOSTRA provides a model to do just that!

We're still learning what caused the outage in Spain - but wanted to leave this here given recent discussion on inertia.

😲 “We built our last gas-fired facility in 2022, at $785/kW. If we wanted to build that same gas-fired combined cycle unit today…$2,400/kW" - NextEra CEO John Ketchum gasoutlook.com/analysis/cos... 🔌💡

If only there was some form of clean, reliable baseload power right beneath our feet *and* our industries had the equipment, skills, and know-how to harness it! Probably too much to ask for. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

As fossil fuel supply chains snarl, the $5B Texas Energy Fund is opening the doors to geothermal power. thehill.com/policy/energ... 💡🔌

Comms folks: Have all the fun you want with interactive websites to share your newest publication. But please don't make me look for the pdf download!

The geothermal schlock list gets a little longer!