Victoria, BC–- The Capital Regional District (CRD) is the proud
recipient of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Sustainable
Community Award in the energy category. The CRD was honoured in recognition of
the Saanich Peninsula Thermal Energy Recovery pilot project, which was born
through a shared vision
of resource recovery for the region.
“The
pilot was made possible through financial support from the Gas Tax Agreement Innovations Fund,”
said CRD Chief Administrative Officer Robert Lapham. “We are delighted to have
been recognized with this award and are glad to have the opportunity to be part
of the solution with methods to recover and reuse energy.”
The
Saanich Peninsula Thermal Energy Recovery system captures thermal energy from
wastewater effluent to provide hot water and space heating using heat recovery
technology. The recovered heat energy is currently being used to supplement
heating requirements for the Panorama Recreation Centre pool. Since
commissioning, the system has saved the district over $60,000 in operating
costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 800 tonnes. Ongoing
optimization of the system will achieve further savings for the district.
“The lessons learned from the pilot
will provide an invaluable guide for implementing future energy recovery
systems in the Capital Region,” said Larisa Hutcheson, General Manager
Environmental Sustainability. “This pilot project has served as a catalyst for
the CRD to investigate and plan for four more district energy systems that
would use renewable energy generated from the region’s sewer and water
conveyance systems.”
The project would not
have been possible without the support of the Peninsula Recreation Commission, Saanich
Peninsula Wastewater Commission and CRD employees, including engineers and
staff at the Panorama Recreation Centre and the Saanich Peninsula Wastewater
Treatment Plant.
The CRD was presented with the award at the 2013 FCM Sustainable
Communities Awards in Windsor, Ontario on February 13.
Established in 2000, FCM Sustainable Community Awards are open to all
municipal governments and their private-sector partners. The awards recognize
innovation and excellence in municipal sustainable development across Canada in
six categories: brownfields, energy, neighbourhood development, transportation,
waste and water.
For more information, visit the CRD website at: http://www.crd.bc.ca/wastewater/saanich-thermal-ww.htm
e-mail News to VNN Return to PlayInVictoria.net
"this page and website is in beta and is subject to change or be removed without notice"
