Client: Markham District Energy
Year: 2022/23
Project Highlights
- 4,500 tons of GHG Savings Annually
- Limited Impact to Electricity Peak Due to On-site Generation / Behind the Meter CHPs
- No Interruptions to MDE Core Operations
4 MWt High Temperature Heat Pumps Simultaneously Heat & Cool Downtown Markham
Markham District Energy and FVB Energy successfully integrated 2 x 2 MWt (4 MWt total) heat recovery chillers at their Warden Energy Centre. These units were commissioned in 2023 and are provided base loaded year-round simultaneous heating and cooling energy for the Markham Centre district energy network. These units utilize an ammonia refrigerant which allows the compressors to run at higher pressures to produce hot water temperatures as high as 85°C which is not possible with typical heat pump units. By displacing the use of natural gas for heating, these units offset 4,500 tons of GHG emissions annually and are a large contributor to MDE’s Net-Zero targets.
Finding space in MDE’s Warden energy center to accommodate the footprint of these units was no easy feat. After reviewing multiple locations from a cost and functionality perspective, FVB recommended containerizing these units which allowed them to be placed outside the footprint of the existing energy center while still being close to the heating and cooling tie-in points. By having these units in a stand-alone enclosure, MDE was also able to mitigate some of the construction risks that were present due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the significant amount of greenhouse gas savings, MDE and FVB were successful in obtaining Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) funding to help offset the high capital costs of this project. This project was considered a tremendous success by MDE and one they are proud to showcase as a first-class district energy system operator.
FVB Energy was the prime consultant for the entirety of this project completing funding application, the financial and energy modeling, detailed design, procurement assistance, and was the principal site field inspector and Engineer of Record for this project.
More Information
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Keywords
Heat Pump, Decarbonization, Electrification