Base de données de recherche des TNO

Régions: Dehcho Region

étiquettes: geothermal resources, geothermal

Objectif(s): To assess the perceptions of the residents of Fort Simpson and Fort Liard of geothermal exploration in their territory and their attitudes towards the potential inclusion of this form of energy in their community's energy portfolio.

Description du projet: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5832. In partnership with Li´i´dli?i? Ku´e´ First Nation (LKFN) and Acho Dene Koe First Nation (ADK First Nation), this project aims to assess the perceptions of the residents of Fort Simpson and Fort Liard of geothermal exploration in their territory and their attitudes towards the potential inclusion of this form of energy in their community's energy portfolio. Beyond the academic research standpoint, this project can help the local governments of Fort Simpson and Fort Liard to better define their energy portfolios. Fort Simpson is a community where our team is beginning to conduct geothermal exploration research, while Fort Liard is a community that has been active in geothermal exploration for some time. The local energy representatives, on behalf of LKFN and ADK, have expressed interest to participate. Our objective is to capture the discourse of community members in order to understand their logics and how those interact with each other. The specific objectives of this research project include: 1) Confirm of deny the community's motivations to integrate renewable energies into the community's energy budget; 2) Identify the community's baseline understanding of geothermal energy and knowledge of current research; 3) Understand the confidence, interest, or reject of community members with regards to different renewable energy options; 4) Identify how favorably community members see geothermal energy compared to other renewable energy options available to their community. In terms of data collection, the researchers plan to gather participants’ perspectives and concerns on geothermal energy and exploration through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire consists of closed-ended questions and aims to gauge the participants general understanding of geothermal energy and attitudes towards potential development in each community. With the attached information and consent forms, a paper version of this questionnaire will be handed out as soon as the research team can go on the field. At the same time, the researchers will make available an online version of this questionnaire and related documents, and a link to a website that relays neutral information on the pros and cons of geothermal energy and exploration activities. Participants will have three weeks to fill in the questionnaire so that they have time to reflect on their answers in a free and informed manner. Then, based on the results of the questionnaire (treated and compiled with the statistical software Microsoft Forms) in Fort Simpson and then in Fort Liard, the organizers will organize a workshop on geothermal energy in a central location of Fort Simpson and then another one in a central location of Fort Liard. The aim of this workshop is to explain what geothermal energy and geothermal exploration are, and what their advantages and disadvantages are. It will be particularly useful in case where community members' knowledge of this type of energy is limited, which the questionnaire will enable us to establish. After this workshop (i.e. once the members of the community have had access to all the information they need to formulate an informed opinion), we will conduct semi-structured interviews that will consist of open-ended questions and aim to know in detail how geothermal energy is perceived in the targeted community. The interviews, lasting approximately one hour and a half, will be audio recorded and transcribed with the permission of the participants, then coded and organized by themes via the content analysis software NVivo. Within the community, the researchers will examine the data analyzed to identify and cross-reference values, perceptions, and concerns among study participants. Finally, the research findings concerning Fort Simpson will be presented to the LKFN representative and the ones concerning Fort Liard will be presented to the ADK representative. The two representatives will then present these results to community members to ensure proper interpretation of the data. Once checked and if necessary, adjusted, the research team plans to share the final findings to community members in the form of a report and a leaflet detailing its members' attitudes, concerns and preferences regarding the inclusion of geothermal energy in its energy portfolio. Once the questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews are analyzed, the preliminary results will first be shared with each First Nation representative. If considered useful by the representatives, a member of the team will come back to Fort Simpson and Fort Liard to present the results or organize a presentation online. Community members will have three weeks to provide feedback on the results and conclusions drawn. Once the community’s feedback is received and discussed with the LKFN’s and ADK First Nation’s representative: 1) The final results will be compiled in a clear and comprehensive report preceded by an executive summary and sent to the LKFN and ADK First Nation representatives via e-mail. 2) With the aim of transferring knowledge to the communities, we will prepare a leaflet to illustrate the different opinions concerning geothermal energy in the communities. This leaflet will be sent by e-mail to the LKFN and ADK First Nation representatives to be passed on to participants. Each community will have access to the study results that concern its members and its territory. Once finalized, a copy of the final research report (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunavut) will also be sent to First Nations representatives and study participants who request it. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: February 6 - August 31, 2024