A project for the deployment of geothermal energy in Quebec schools

Polytechnique Montréal, Hydro-Québec, the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal, the Centre de services scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles, the Centre de services scolaire des Samares, Natural Resources Canada's CanmetENERGY research centre, the Université de Montréal and Versaprofiles and Marmott Énergies are partnering with the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec (MEQ) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The partners are officially launching activities today for the Alliance project on the use of permanent column wells (PCP) in geothermal energy to efficiently electrify the institutional and commercial sectors.

Philippe Pasquier, full professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal and holder of the Geothermal Research Chair on the Integration of PCPs in Institutional Buildings, will lead the research work of a team of ten researchers. They will successively carry out three demonstration projects in three Quebec schools. The team is currently conducting field tests that will lead to the construction of the first PCPs at the Clé-des-Champs elementary school in Mirabel. In all, 24 complementary research activities are planned as part of the work of this 5-year research program.

“PCPs have been used for about thirty years in the northeastern United States. Their strength lies in the high thermal power they can develop, which makes them a more economical approach than that used in geothermal energy to date,” says Philippe Pasquier. “The lack of demonstration projects and experienced personnel in Canada has been a barrier to their deployment until now. We are hopeful that this project will change the situation and at the same time confirm the safety of PCPs for groundwater quality.”

“We are proud to be a partner in the Alliance project on the use of permanent column wells (PCP), in order to help develop this technology and demonstrate its effectiveness in real-world conditions,” says Guillaume Marchand, Project Coordinator, Material Resources Department at the Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles School Service Centre. “A pioneer in the implementation of energy-efficient systems, our school service centre has geothermal systems as the main heating source in approximately 15% of its school park. This type of system will improve indoor air quality while reducing energy bills by around 35% compared to a conventional mechanical system (approximately $55/year in heating costs for an average school in Quebec). This technology will undoubtedly contribute to fulfilling our primary mission of educational success.”

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the energy efficiency of our buildings is very important to us,” emphasizes Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Education. “I am proud to see that our schools are committed to this issue and are playing a leading role in the democratization of innovative technologies. I am convinced of the merits of these projects, which will certainly have a major impact on the way we think about our future buildings.”

“I am pleased to see Polytechnique Montréal tackling the problem of global warming through energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction,” added Danielle McCann, Minister of Higher Education. “I am confident that this research and development work will lead to concrete progress. I thank all the stakeholders involved in this project and wish them every success.”

This Alliance project will benefit from a total envelope of $2,7 million from Hydro-Québec ($1 million) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) ($1,7 million). The Quebec Ministry of Education will cover the costs associated with the construction of the geothermal systems, while the other partners will provide a contribution equivalent to $1,1 million in staff time.

The NSERC Alliance Grants aim to establish collaborations between university researchers and partner organizations from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors in order to produce new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results in the country, in particular by developing expertise.

As part of this Alliance project, a geothermal system consisting of five permanent column wells (PCP) will be installed near the Clé-des-Champs elementary school in Saint-Augustin, Mirabel. (Credit: Massouh bioMÉDia for Polytechnique Montréal)

Demonstrate the effectiveness of PCPs

The building sector comes in 3^e ranks among the largest sources of GHG emissions in Canada, mainly due to the use of fossil fuels. In 2016, it contributed to the production of 81 megatonnes of GHGs, surpassing the 78,5 megatonnes of GHGs produced in Quebec that year.

Several solutions have been put forward over the years to improve this record, including the use of conventional geothermal systems, a technology that allows a building to be heated and cooled by using a heat pump coupled with wells in a closed loop. However, this approach has proven difficult to adopt due to high construction costs and the density of buildings in urban areas.

By going up to 500 metres into the ground and using groundwater directly, PCPs make it possible to avoid this space constraint. They are also a promising solution for reducing the demand for power from the electrical grid that Hydro-Québec faces during peak periods.

However, the adoption of this technology is slow in Canada due to its complexity, but also the absence of demonstration projects, the lack of qualified personnel in the industry and the fear that the quality of groundwater will be affected by the PCP operation. The project led by Professor Pasquier will work to remove each of these barriers to the use of PCP.

Geothermal systems using permanent column wells can reduce energy consumption in commercial and industrial buildings by up to 60%. It should be noted that the energy cost in the Canadian commercial and industrial sectors was $20,6 billion in 2013.