COMBINED HEAT & POWER TECHNOLOGY SAVES CITY ENERGY, MONEY
The City will soon be saving energy and reducing operational costs at two major civic facilities. City Council approved plans for two combined heat and power (CHP) projects in December 2013 and with funding support from partners, natural gas fuelled CHP units will be installed at Lakewood Civic Centre and the Shaw Centre.
“These installations help demonstrate our commitment to environmental leadership through the use of more energy-efficient practices in City buildings,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “The project also helps ensure that existing leisure centres remain financially efficient and services can be provided more reliably. We are extremely pleased to participate in partnership to leverage funding from other sources. This contributes to ensuring the long-term sustainability of community assets.”
The units, which will be integrated into the existing electrical and heating systems, produce electricity and recover waste heat to be used inside a building. The technology also offers a cleaner energy source that can reduce utility costs and provide backup electricity and heating in the event of a power outage or equipment failure. Between the two facilities, greenhouse gas emission will be reduced by 915 tonnes, which is equal to removing 180 cars from Saskatoon roads each year.
The total cost of the project is $1.3 million. Almost half of that amount, $600,000, is funded through Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as a result of a successful proposal submitted in response to a request for proposals to the Market Development Incentive Payments (MDIP) Fund and the Clean Energy Fund (the Program). Through this Program, NRCan provides up to 50% matching funding for eligible costs for projects which identify innovative applications for natural gas and make greater use of technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SaskEnergy, a supporter of combined heat and power technology, also contributed $325,000 to the project. The City will contribute $375,000 towards the implementation of the project.
Earlier this year, City Council approved the award of a contract to Calgary-based Power EcoSystems to design, supply, build and maintain the project, the value of which was $1,116,000.
“There are other civic buildings that could benefit from moving to combined heat and power technology. After measuring the benefits of these installations, the business case for other civic facilities could be reviewed,” says Wallace.
Installation and commissioning of the units will be completed by early 2015 with ongoing monitoring and reporting being conducted until the completion of the project in fall of 2016.
For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.