Geothermal Plant

2021 Launch Workshop

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 from 9am - noon, MST

An invitation-only workshop to launch the Geothermal Energy Laboratory, share the research capabilities and vision of the academic leadership team, and match the needs of industry and government with expertise at the University of Calgary in the geothermal space.

Vision: Geothermal Anywhere” through improved exploration, drilling efficiency, well layouts, reservoir management, surface facilities, energy conversion, heat re-use and close collaboration and buy-in from the community.

Goals of the Workshop:

  • Become acquainted with the research capabilities and expertise of the university in geothermal energy

  • Connect with researchers

  • Explore partnerships to address open research questions, including matching funding opportunities with NSERC, Mitacs, and Alberta Innovates

  • Evaluate the possibility of a proposal for the CRIN (Clean Resource Innovation Network) low emissions fuels competition

Time Topic Speaker
9:00 am – 9:10 am Virtual Welcome Drs. Kantzas & Shor
9:10 am – 9:20 am Vision and Goals of the Geothermal Energy Lab (Slides) Dr. Shor
9:20 am – 9:35 am Exploration Geology and Geophysics (Slides) Dr. Gilbert
9:35 am – 9:50 am Thermal & Fluid Flows in Reservoirs (Slides) Dr. Kantzas
9:50 am – 10:00 am Break  
10:00 am – 10:15 am Drilling & Well Construction (Slides) Dr. Shor
10:15 am – 10:30 am Thermodynamics & Energy Conversions (Slides) Dr. Kantzas
10:30 am – 10:45 am Sustainability and Social License Dr. Black
10:45 am – 11:00 am Geothermal Policy and Law (Slides) Dr. Ingelson
11:00 am – 11:10 am Break  
11:10 am – 11:30 am Break out room discussions All
11:30 am – 11:50 am Common discussion  
11:50 am – noon Closing Drs. Kantzas & Shor

Funding Opportunities

University Research

  • NSERC Alliance funds fundamental and applied research and development with an industry sponsor.  Cash contributions are matched 1:1 (for companies >500 employees) or 2:1 (for companies with less than 500 employees) for projects lasting 1 to 5 years.
  • NSERC Alliance / Alberta Innovates Advance is special program that funds technology development with grants up to $150,000 per year for up to two years.
  • Alberta Innovates Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement provides additional funding for NSERC Alliance grants in partnership with small businesses (<$50M in revenue).
  • Mitacs Accelerate provides matching funding to hire graduate students as interns in 4-month blocks (which are stackable).  Each 4-month block provides $15k in funding ($7.5k + GST from the industry sponsor) where at least $10k is salary for the student.
  • Mitacs Elevate provides matching funding to hire a postdoctoral fellow for two years ($30k / year contribution from the industry sponsor) to undertake applied research.

Industry Competitions