A Canadian company plans to build the world’s largest geothermal lagoon a few miles outside of Quebec City. The geothermal lagoon would aim for carbon neutrality by drawing on power from the sun and the Earth. Quebec-based company geoLAGOON has drawn inspiration from Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, one of National Geographic’s 25 wonders of the world, and will custom build a state-of-the-art lagoon using a patented technology combining a water bath with an insulated, watertight sub-tank that stays very hot.
To be built in Charlevoix, Quebec, the lagoon’s waters will span some 12,000 square meters (130,000 sq ft). Water from the open-air lagoon will circulate through the coils in the heated sub-tank at the flow rate required to keep it at 38°C.
There is a strong potential that the geoLagon project will produce more energy than it consumes. An opportunity to provide surplus electricity to the surrounding community.
Louis Massicotte, geoLAGOON CEO and founder
“As an entrepreneur, I have chosen to try to be an agent of change by creating fully self-sufficient villages using solar, geothermal, biomass and our patent-pending thermal reservoir that will be installed under the lagoon and store hot water at 70 °C,” said Louis Massicotte, geoLAGOON CEO and founder. “Quebec is in a privileged position to demonstrate to the world that self-sufficiency in renewable energy is a real business option, particularly in the tourism industry.
The cottages will be heated with hot air by the lagoon, which will in turn be heated by geothermal, solar and biomass energy, with hydropower as a backup. Rainwater will be collected and filtered for the water supply, and the techniques used will significantly limit lagoon evaporation. The project aspires to be an international renewable energy model for carbon neutrality and self-sufficiency.
Each of the 4 resort villages and geoLAGOONs in Québec will be built on land already set aside for tourist attractions and accommodations. that construction is expected to get underway in Charlevoix in March, and should take around 18 months, Massicotte said to Canadian media.
Designers believe that the geoLAGOON projects will provide host communities with an opportunity to support and promote the use of renewables in the attractions industry, an energy-intensive sector where viable models of a greener, cleaner way forward are urgently needed.
The project is planned in three stages, beginning with the construction of 150 solar-powered cottages, followed by the lagoon as the second stage and then the remaining 150 chalets thereafter. Massicotte is planning a further three geoLagon projects for Quebec, in Laurentides, Lanaudière and in the Eastern Townships.
In early September, geoLAGOON villages won the Sustainable Development Initiative of the year thanks to the self-sufficient renewable energy village model. The company has risen to the rank of the best companies in the world in terms of sustainable development, alongside several large multinationals and governments, according to the jury of the Sustainability Awards, distributed in Philadelphia by the Business Intelligence Group.
Compared to traditional developments, each geoLAGOON village plans to reduce its water consumption from the ground by 90 to 95%, thanks to a method of collecting and filtering rainwater. The geoLAGON villages will therefore be supplied by artesian wells only for drinking water, 5 to 10% of the traditional volume.
A wide range of experts supports geoLAGOON inc in its research and development projects. A study delivered by Akonovia engineers confirmed that the geoLAGON project will be 100% self-sufficient in self-produced energy. INRS also analyzed the geothermal potential of the soil and made its recommendations.
With regard to the production calculations for photovoltaic and thermal solar energy, solar expert Dan Oppizzi supported the company. In addition, an engineer’s report demonstrated the water self-sufficiency of the geoLAGOON project thanks to the supply of rainwater by calculating the losses caused by evaporation and by the use of toilets (black water) and by integrating the reuse of filtered water for showers, sinks and other uses (grey water). Moreover, for the sake of saving water, the 300 chalets in each village will be voluntarily equipped exclusively with showers (no baths) with controlled flow.
