RC105 MarApr2023 - Magazine - Page 17
which will primarily use sewer heat reclamation as a zero-carbon source of energy.”
The practical result is that the mechanical
systems of new developments not yet
serviced by the district energy utility have
been designed to be “DE ready,” and will
be connected in due course.
A key factor affecting municipal
strategies is the regulatory environment
and the “culture of decision-making.” In
B.C., for example, where energy is regulated under the
Utilities Commission Act, the norm is for municipalities
to make climate-friendly initiatives like district energy a
requirement in their plans. Yet in Ontario, where energy
prices are also regulated (by the Ontario Energy Board),
the culture is very different.
According to Bruce Ander, president and CEO of
Markham District Energy (MDE), arguably the most
successful municipally owned energy utility in the country, creating a thermal grid—networks of underground
piping that distribute hot water (for heating) and chilled
water (for cooling) from a central plant, via a closed-loop
to surrounding buildings—is an essential condition for
meeting net-zero targets. “But implementing DE projects
isn’t for the faint of heart,” Ander cautions. “There are so
many factors involved, including a need to base investment decisions on a sound business case and an ability to
work constructively with partners to raise capital.”
Ander observes that Ontario municipalities typically
stop short of requiring DE in their official plans, pre-
LULU ISLAND ENERGY COMPANY
In Vancouver’s False Creek neighbourhood, the Alexandra District Energy
Utility services more than 2,200 residential units and a significant amount of
commercial space, including the first Walmart ever to be connected to DE.
RENEWCANADA.NET
ferring to avoid forcing developers to make risk-laden
decisions while redevelopment plans are still fluid. The
example of Lakeview Village in Mississauga is a case in
point. Having to commit to DE early on, while still working through cost challenges involved with remediating
the 177-acre former power plant, could have scuttled the
project, Ander suggests.
By the time Enwave agreed in June 2022 to partner
with the Region of Peel to manage the project’s DE system, the development partners had successfully negotiated most of the required planning approvals that will see
construction of up to 8,000 residential units as well as significant commercial, recreational and institutional space.
The challenge of achieving a sufficient energy baseload to
justify proceeding with DE is met by a scheme that will
capture waste heat from treated effluent from an adjacent
sewage treatment plant.
Through Enwave, the CIB is investing significant
dollars in the Mississauga project. According to Peel’s
general manager of water and wastewater, Anthony
Parente, Lakeview Village could be the catalyst to help
MARCH/APRIL 2023 – RENEW CANADA 17
