Geothermal may hold the answer to building out the energy required as Canada accelerates toward an ‘age of electricity,’ according to Tim Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Diverso Energy.
In a thought leadership article posted on the company’s social media, he posed the question: how to electrify buildings at scale without overwhelming affordability, or the grid itself?
It is an area in which Diverso Energy, which describes itself as the first fully vertically integrated geothermal utility company in North America, is already active.
Weber’s thoughts followed participation at a government relations panel at the Ontario Geothermal Association’s annual conference in Toronto, and reports that Prime Minister Mark Carney had unveiled Canada's national electricity strategy: a commitment to double the country's grid capacity by 2050.
“The room was full of people who had spent careers making the case that tapping the immense energy potential beneath our feet is as critical to Canada’s clean energy future as anything we build above ground,” Weber noted in his article posted to LinkedIn, and picked up by not-for-profit industry group, Geothermal Canada.
“New federal direction is welcome as building electrification gains momentum,” he added.
The article goes on to argue that Canada’s plan to double electricity capacity should explicitly include geothermal energy as a core part of national infrastructure.
The author contends that geothermal is more than a building technology — it functions as grid infrastructure by providing stable heating and cooling with consistent electricity demand.
This reduces costly peak loads, lowers household energy costs and improves grid efficiency.
“As someone spending considerable time…to get geothermal situated on the policy agenda, I want to add something not yet explicit in the framework: geothermal systems aren't just a building-level technology. At scale, geothermal is grid infrastructure — and our electrification strategy will be stronger for treating it that way.”
However, growth is hindered by fragmented regulations, weak policy support and financing challenges.
Weber goes on to call for a national framework that recognises community-scale geothermal as essential energy infrastructure, with clear regulations, financing tools and incentives to help scale an affordable, resilient and Canadian-made clean energy solution.
The article cites input from various other attendees at the panel event before concluding:“Canada has built nation-defining infrastructure before: railways, highways, pipelines and electrical grids. As we enter the Age of Electricity, we should also be thinking about the thermal infrastructure that will determine whether electrification remains affordable and scalable for future generations.”