Renewable Energy Solar Energy Wind Energy Geothermal Energy Bioenergy Hydropower

New Geothermal Energy Project in Halifax to Use Cold Energy Storage

November 20, 2007 | 6 Comments

Do you like this news?

Bookmark

Feed

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Ottawa, Ontario Mayor Peter J. Kelly announced the start of construction on the Alderney 5 Advanced Geothermal Energy Project in Dartmouth, NS. The Alderney 5 project is a CAN$3.0-million energy-efficiency retrofit of five buildings on the Dartmouth waterfront that are owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

"By investing in ground breaking projects like this one, we are making sure that clean, renewable power will form an increasingly important part of our energy mix for the future, in Canada and worldwide."

--Gary Lunn, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources

The project includes the first large-scale application of geothermal cold energy storage. The geothermal borehole energy storage system features a new design of borehole heat exchanger that will be used in a field consisting of 100 holes, 600 feet deep. Cold energy harvested from the adjacent seawater during winter months chills the rock mass underground. This stored energy can then be used to meet peak air conditioning needs, eliminating the need for a supplementary cooling system.

"We need energy to power our economy, and we need clean energy to protect our environment - that's a priority for our government and the foundation of our practical, balanced approach to climate change," said the Gary Lunn, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources. "By investing in ground breaking projects like this one, we are making sure that clean, renewable power will form an increasingly important part of our energy mix for the future, in Canada and worldwide."

Geothermal Energy

6 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 6

william-hughes-66196

November 21, 2007

Heat pipes transfer absolutely staggering amounts of energy very efficiently. by the by, they are used on the legs of the supports for the Alaska pipe line to avoid the heat of the gas being transferred to the legs, causing the melting of the permafrost and the collapse of the pipeline. Why the expense and danger of pumping sea water. If you want more heat dissipated, you simply put on a larger radiator at the top.

Comment
2 of 6

william-hughes-66196

November 21, 2007

A heat pipe is simply a pipe (not surprisingly) that contains a quantity of a working fluid which evaporates and condenses over the desired temperature range. They can transfer heat downwards but not very well. They are in their element when asked to transfer heat from a low location to a higher one. Except for the working fluid, the pipe is evacuated of all air (the fluid is boiled until only vapour comes out and then the top is sealed. A quantity of working fluid is used so that if all the fluid is in the gas phase, the pressure is not enough to blow the pipe. In operation, the working fluid is vaporized by the heat source. In the absence of any air in the pipe, the vapour travels at the speed of the mollecule vibration (conservatively around the speed of sound) up to the cold end where it condenses and dribbles back down to be re-evaporated. running out again

Comment
3 of 6

william-hughes-66196

November 21, 2007

As someone who lived in Eastern Canada for 8 years (age 0-8), I seem to remember that the winters are very cold in that part of the world. If there is a desire to cool a large volume of rock, why don't they use that cold in the winter to later be used in the summer. Pumping sea water over land is frought with difficulties. There is even a technical way to get the cold down into the rocks which works extremely efficiently and is self operating. ie- no energy needed. You use heat pipes. see nextcomment as I am running out of permitted space.

Comment
4 of 6

efstratios-stratos-psarianos-74223

November 21, 2007

Leona ... Nope, no Halifax-Dartmouth in Ontario, just in Nova Scotia.

Comment
5 of 6

leona-simon-37365

November 21, 2007

??? I am confused. Is there a Dartmouth near a Halifax in Ontario? I know that there a 2 cities in Nova Scotia with these names in close proximity and they sit on the shoreline of the Atlantic. I don't know where any city in Ontario would access seawater unless it was transported over ground.

Comment
6 of 6

abel-yewondwossen-169650

February 5, 2009

Hi I'm a university student at SMU (Halifax, NS) and I was wondering if there are any links with images of the Geothermal project. I never get enough time to go and see it because I live very far out...Thanks

Add Your Comment

Registered users, please make sure to Sign-In. We and others want to know your ideas and opinions. If you are not yet Registered -- it's quick and easy. Just click below.
Thanks!