Germany Out Ahead Again with Geothermal Electrical with Lithium Extraction!

In many countries around the world, Geothermal Electrical Power Stations are not only producing clean electric energy, but they are also adding mineral extraction plants. The extraction plants extract minerals from the geothermal brine before it is reinjected, using a small amount of power from the geothermal turbines. Germany intends to build 5 geothermal power plants and add to them a lithium extraction plant. This means that a constant source of lithium can be obtained without having to mine for the materials. 

Vulcan Energy Resources has been investigating the possibility of producing emission-free lithium at a project in the German Upper Rhine Valley. The company plans to pair the lithium production facility with a geothermal power project, powering the facility with zero-emission electricity.

The company said it would be possible to produce a quality lithium hydroxide chemical for batteries at the proposed facility and that it would seek to tap into the emerging European market for lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles.

According to the BBC this is a new sort of gold rush for what they are calling green lithium.  France has also joined Germany in this gold rush, and their first plant will provide 10% of their national needs. Given that this particular process is linked to geothermal plants, British Columbia could become a major player in this gold rush, being on the ring of fire, we have a large amount of geothermal power potential, as you can see from the map below. 

The top right is full of locations because of the extensive oil and gas drilling in the region

Volcanic zones like British Columbia are full of geothermal resources, one only has to look at the number of hot springs that are scattered around the province. There are well over a hundred of these springs and no doubt we will continue to find more.  These hot springs indicate a good hot water source that could potentially drive a geothermal power plant that is linked to extraction plants. 

Hopefully, British Columbia will take steps soon to join this power and mining gold rush as it is both green energy and green mining combined, after all Europe's geothermal resources are not as vast as British Columbia's.

Sources:

• https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201124-how-geothermal-lithium-could-revolutionise-green-energy
• https://vul.live.irmau.com/site/PDF/b1339fdd-ae63-4b36-987d-2273f07b83d7/CorporatePresentation
• https://vul.live.irmau.com/site/PDF/b1339fdd-ae63-4b36-987d-2273f07b83d7/CorporatePresentation
• https://www.egec.org/time-to-invest-in-clean-geothermal-lithium-made-in-europe/
• https://www.cangea.ca/britishcolumbiageothermal.html

A Majority of British Columbians want Clean Energy

In a recent article by Merran Smith on the Clean Energy Canada website, she cites a survey that indicates 61% of British Columbians want the government to invest in clean energy. 

https://cleanenergycanada.org/poll-british-columbians-prefer-the-province-invest-in-clean-energy-over-lng/

The survey also indicates that the government's focus on LNG is not something a majority want to see. They would rather the government focus on clean forms of energy. It is time I think to start to focus on some of our greatest sources of renewable clean energy. One of which is geothermal power plants.

Geothermal power plants are the cheapest form of constant renewable energy on the planet. Unlike hydropower, which not only produces methane, but destroys what little arable land we do have in the province, geothermal power has an extremely small footprint and does not pollute. So why would this not appear in this article?

Unlike dams, in a drastically changing climate, they are not impacted by lack of water nor the impacts of too much water. In an earthquake in the hundreds of countries that use geothermal power, they are usually the only source of power that is not damaged.

We are on the ring of fire, so our ability to use the hundreds of hot spots around the province to produce energy is greater than any other province. However, with the advancements in geothermal plant technology, in addition to “Flash Plants” which are dependent on hot water sources, we now have closed-loop geothermal power plants. 

Closed-loop power plants can operate with no need for a hot water source, using just the heat from the ground. In fact, in Alberta, they are using this method to convert abandoned wells into small geothermal power plants. These plants will permanently produce electricity. In addition to this, they will stop the release of methane from these orphan wells into the atmosphere. 

In BC there are 346 orphan wells, just imagine the electrical capacity this resource might push into our grid. It might out produce any dam we are considering.