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With veteran energy sources like fossil fuels preparing to retire their jerseys in the next few decades, alternative energy sources are being scouted like potential NBA players. Among these promising drafts is geothermal energy.
 
“Right now, geothermal is a relatively small piece of the energy pie,” says Travis Schmidt, marketing manager at NextEnergy. “It’s a challenge to grow that pie and basically create awareness and an understanding of the system.”
 
Essentially, geothermal energy works by harnessing heat below the earth’s surface. The source of this heat is spawned in two ways. The kind used to mass produce electricity is tapped from deep below the surface, where primordial heat left over from the planet’s formation is found. Heat from the radioactive decay is harnessed to create steam, which then runs electrical turbines.
 
The second kind has more direct applications, the kind that companies such as NextEnergy specialize in. The earth’s crust can absorb and store heat from the sun, and stays at a constant temperature year-round. Pipes can be installed beneath your home (or any building for that matter) to collect and then transfer geothermal heat to a specialized unit to keep a building warm during the winter. In the summer, the system works in reverse, using the cooler temperatures below ground for air conditioning.
 

Always constant.
Aside from its reduced ecological footprint when compared to nuclear or petroleum based resources, geothermal energy also holds a major advantage over other renewables; it’s constant. “The biggest thing that geothermal has when compared to wind or solar is that it’s 365 days a year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” says Schmidt.
 
Both examples are dependent on conditions that vary almost hourly, and in both cases, solar and wind energy need considerable pieces of land with many individual collectors or turbines in order to be effective for large scale production. For geothermal, “There’s no time when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine,” Schmidt continues, “it is an absolute, at point of use, renewable energy.”
 
The initial cost of geothermal systems and their installation might seem a bit pricey, but Schmidt stresses that you are installing your own energy plant, and that should be understood. There are the long-term benefits. “[Geothermal is] the cheapest system to operate, and will significantly cut your heating and cooling bills.” According to Schmidt, geothermal systems can save you 75 percent when compared to oil and propane, and about 50 percent when compared to natural gas.
 

A practical option.
“Almost 60 percent of Canada’s energy is used for heating and cooling, and you can essentially eliminate the fossil fuel component for that.” With rising hydro costs and fluctuating oil prices, using the heat trapped within the earth is becoming a more practical solution.
 
Despite the environmental and economic improvements that geothermal is making to the industry, it’s not without its obstacles. For one thing, there’s a continual need of skilled trade workers, drillers in particular. “Drilling is really where geothermal will make its big splash,” Schmidt says. In order for geothermal to go mainstream, it’ll have to tackle the urban environment, and it’s going to need qualified drillers for that.
 
The students looking to make a career in this field will want to have standard HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) training, while refrigeration mechanic training is crucial. “It’s in every college, and refrigeration technicians specifically within that broad category are always needed,” says Schmidt. These skills are especially important for residential work and installation. Schmidt adds, “Walking out with a refrigeration licence or an apprenticeship would allow you to walk into a job.”
 
The geothermal industry will only grow as more people realize the opportunities it presents, both for helping the environment, and for an innovative career. “It’s not a power plant that’s 300 km away from where the actual power is being used,” says Schmidt, emphasizing that it’s local jobs, local people running the small businesses, and employing the people within the community. “That’s the beauty of it: the money goes into the community and stays in the community.”