E2E to pilot novel EGS tech in Rainbow Lake, Alberta, Canada

Canadian geothermal company E2E Energy Solutions (E2E) and the municipality of Rainbow Lake in Alberta have announced plans to pilot a first-of-its-kind geothermal project that will provide the entire power and heat needs of the community by 2028.

“The Town of Rainbow Lake has been researching the vast geothermal potential our Northwest corner of Alberta provides for 6 years now. We are happy to have found a valuable partner in E2E Energy Solutions to help bring all of these past years of study into a tangible future,” said Mayor Michelle Farris.

“We see the incredible potential for geothermal in Canada, especially where we can repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure to produce renewable energy. Our goal is to empower communities and make energy transition economical, and sustainable,” further commented Domenico Daprocida, the founder of E2E.

The EGRRS technology

The project will be based on E2E’s patent-pending Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir Recovery System (EGRRS), a combination of conventional and EGS technologies. The reservoir fluid temperature is upgraded by directing it down the injection leg into the stimulated radiator, where it has the potential to be heated to over 200°C. The fluid continues to flow through the radiator and is recovered via the production well (outtake) and pumped to the surface. Once the energy has been recovered the fluid can be used for power generation, and or district heat.

EGRRS focuses on repurposing depleted oil and gas production assets such as existing wellbores, pipelines, and reservoirs.  It is viable for developing suitable geothermal aquifers wherever a thermal gradient is over 30°C/km.

E2E has published a video summarizing the EGRRS technology, shown below:

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Community and research support

This initiative will provide economic benefits to the Town and surrounding communities through job creation in construction and operation of the plant. It will also provide significant benefits to the DeneTha’ First Nation who have expressed support of the project.

Fred Didzena, Lands Department Director said “The Rainbow Lake geothermal project will provide new opportunities and economic benefits for the DeneTha’ and the Rainbow Lake region as a whole. It will greatly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a net-zero sustainable future.”

Driven by the EGRRS technology, this project will receive technical support from the University of Calgary’s Energi Simulation Centre for Geothermal Systems Research (GeoS), which is a leading geothermal research Centre in Canada. GeoS committed to a partnership with E2E to develop a research support program towards various aspects of the implementation including lending expertise towards system, modelling, and operations optimization.

Source: E2E Energy via Business Wire