What do you think about geothermal energy?  

If your answer is “not much,” you are among the majority of Canadians. Geothermal, according to our research, is the incredibly promising clean-energy option you’ve barely heard of.  

In a survey Cascade Institute recently conducted of roughly 2,500 Albertans and British Columbians, half reported low or no familiarity with geothermal. That’s less awareness than for any other major source of energy.  

The researchers assessed familiarity using a five-point scale ranging from “Not at all familiar” to “Extremely familiar,” with an additional “Don’t know/No opinion” option. Data are based on survey responses collected in AB=1,301; and BC=1,302. Source: https://cascadeinstitute.org/technical-paper/deep-listening/

Geothermal plants generate heat and power by harnessing heat from the Earth’s core. The electricity it produces is clean, secure, and can run day and night with no ongoing fuel inputs. Geothermal is an inexhaustible source of clean energy just beneath our feet — so why is it still a mystery to most people?  

Out of sight, out of mind. You can feel solar energy on your face, and wind energy muss-up your hair, but geothermal energy is hidden deep underground. Out of sight, out of mind. 

That’s the biggest challenge to the wider adoption of geothermal energy — without public awareness and support for it, the political will isn’t there.  

But there’s a positive side to the lack of public awareness about geothermal: because........

© National Observer