Around the world in 120 days: One graduate student's journey for geoscience

MSc student travels the world studying geothermal energy as newest Hugh Morris Fellow.

Katie Willis - 02 October 2018

Over the next four months, geoscience student Theron Finley will circle the globe as he develops his understanding of geothermal energy exploration around the world.

Finley is a master's student-studying with Stephen Johnston and Martyn Unsworth in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences-who was recently named a Hugh Morris Fellow. The fellowship, offered by the Kimberley Foundation, supports Canadian graduate students on a program of self-guided travel and experiential learning with a focus on global sustainability.

For his journey, Finley will travel to Alaska, Utah, Nevada, California, Iceland, Germany, and New Zealand where he will meet with experts at universities, government organizations, and private companies to learn about their work in geothermal exploration and technology.

"The idea behind my experiential learning program is to gain knowledge on geothermal energy exploration around the world," explained Finley. "I want to visit with experts in other countries with successful geothermal industries and seek their guidance, and see how we can build practices in Canada."

Research heating up

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that taps into the heat present in the Earth's crust. It is a promising source of consistent power and heat that produces few greenhouse gas emissions. Geothermal energy can contribute to existing power grids, power remote off-grid communities, be used as a direct source of heat for homes and businesses alike, and facilitate food production, -but yet it is uncommon in Canada.

"Canada has essentially no geothermal energy production " said Johnston. "I hope that Theron's experience will enable him to help promote geothermal energy in Canada, and by doing so, aid in reducing our carbon footprint."

"In our fight against anthropogenic climate change, geothermal energy could and should be an important part of our renewable energy portfolio," added Finley. "One large hurdle to using geothermal in Canada is technical uncertainty about the resources we have-an issue that can be addressed using various techniques in geology and geophysics."

Finley has completed the first leg of his journey in Alaska, where he visited several hot springs where the geothermal energy is harnessed for heat and power. Now in Iceland, he has spent a week with the Iceland GeoSurvey in Akureyri, learning about their efforts to find additional hot water for their district heating system. Next, he will visit the Reykjanes Peninsula, including the Hellisheidi Power Plant and Reykjanes UNESCO GeoPark, before heading to Reno, Nevada, for the annual Geothermal Resources Council meeting

Two stops in to his trip, Finley feels grateful. "I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to the board of directors at the Kimberley Foundation who thought my experiential learning plan had merit. I would also like to thank my supervisors for supporting me in taking the scenic route to finishing my degree."

Keep up with Finley and hear about his travels on his blog.