Renewable Energy

Context

Energy heats our homes, powers our workplace, fuels our cars, and drives much of our economy. It is fundamental to life as we know it. Nova Scotia faces all the challenges and opportunities that come with producing and consuming energy.

Nova Scotia has set one of the most aggressive legal targets in the world: 40 per cent renewable electricity by 2020, and North America’s first and only hard caps on greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector.

CSEE supports these goals with our renewable energy research focus, including:
• geothermal district heating,
• domestic bioenergy development and utilization, and
• integrated control and information systems to support and balance the use of intermittent sources like wind, solar, and tidal.

Opportunity

Right now, underground mines beneath the Cape Breton communities of Glace Bay, Dominion and Reserve Mines continue to fill with groundwater. The eastern section of the Cape Breton coalfield is flooded.

The flooded mines contain 250 billion litres of water at an average temperature of 12° Celsius. This represents enough energy to heat and cool every home and building in these three communities using high-efficiency heat pump technology,

As well, former industrial land offers an excellent testing ground for fuel crops. A number of fast-growing crops are currently in development for use in pellet stoves – creating a potentially viable commercial product.

Research Focus

CSEE is committed to innovative solutions to increase the value of community renewable energy sources, both locally and globally. Research areas include:

• Geothermal Energy
• Mine Water Geothermal
• Ground & waste water source geothermal
• Deep Geothermal Systems
• Biomass
• Willow energy crops
• Energy from waste
• Pellets, Torrefaction, & electricity co-generation
• Self-sufficient integrated systems, including wind & solar
   

Research Chair

Recruitment of Chair in Progress