City uses mini-plants for district energy system

Lonsdale Energy Corp. Startup

The City of North Vancouver, BC, built a district energy system (DES) to heat buildings in a major redevelopment of its waterfront area.

The DES uses small heating plants scattered through the area, rather than one central plant. The gas-fired boilers circulate hot water underground to buildings connected to the system. The energy-efficient boilers provide customers with cleaner, cheaper heat than the electric baseboard heaters commonly used in British Columbia.

Using smaller plants allows the system to grow in steps as new customers sign on. Run by a municipality-owned utility, the system also taps solar and other renewable energy sources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Results

Challenges

• Overcoming the perception in parts of the community that district heating is more, not less, costly
• Engineering and building the system in North Vancouver's steeply sloped terrain
• Arranging training in another municipality for city construction crews with no DES experience in

Lessons learned

• Make sure developers equip new buildings so they may be connected to the district heating system.
• Include an experienced installation contractor in the design process.
• Do not embark on a district energy project without the city council support.