Techno-economic analysis of hybrid solar-assisted geothermal and biomass heating systems in remote subarctic communities (Nunavik, Canada)

The Nunavik region mainly relies on fuel-oil for their heating needs, leading to high energy costs and sustainability issues. Studies focusing on renewable heating alternatives in remote Canadian regions are limited and have been evaluated under different models and methodologies. This work studied several heating alternatives to meet the heating needs of a building in Nunavik, Canada, to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and overall heating cost. Studied alternatives include biomass furnace and solar-assisted geothermal heat pumps, which were compared to fuel-oil #2 heating. A 50-years life cycle cost (LCC) analysis was carried out for each alternative considering environmental, technical, and economic issues. A strategy of net metering obtaining credits/revenue by injecting PV electricity into the local grid was considered. The LCC analysis shows that a mix of heating systems represents an interesting alternative for Northern Québec with a levelized cost of energy that varies from 0.23 to 0.62 $/kWh, reducing emissions up to 18.9 tons of CO2eq/year. Conventional heating oil system has a comparable cost of 0.20 $/kWh after fuel-oil subsidy and 0.26 $/kWh before subsidy. Results could eventually be extended to similar subarctic settings in Canada and worldwide.