Summary

Like all landfills, Winnipeg’s Brady Road Resource Management Facility produces methane-rich landfill gas, which contributes to the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. A collect and flare system was installed beginning in 2012 to reduce emissions, but the city wanted to explore the opportunity to benefit from the landfill gas by turning it into a source of revenue. This study assesses four scenarios for capturing, processing and selling landfill gas, and concludes that the preferred option is to convert the landfill gas into renewable natural gas to sell on the open market.

Background

The Brady Road Resource Management Facility, then called the Brady Road Landfill, opened in 1973 to receive solid waste from Winnipeg and the surrounding region. Located to the south of the city, it accepts both residential and commercial waste—a total of 315,500 tonnes in 2021. In 2011, Winnipeg’s waste disposal was responsible for close to 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in emissions, almost 15 percent of the city’s total.

Since 2013 the facility has shifted its focus from primarily garbage disposal to a more circular approach to waste management. For instance, leaf and yard waste from curbside collection is now processed on a nine-hectare composting pad into nutrient-rich compost, and a wood recycling program diverts ash trees and old lumber from the landfill, using it instead to create products like furniture and flooring.

In 2012, a system was installed to collect and flare landfill gas (LFG). Landfills produce this gas—primarily made up of methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG)—as organic waste decomposes. Collecting and burning LFG results in lower overall GHG emissions and provides other benefits such as reduced odours. The landfill’s system of gas extraction wells was expanded in 2017 and 2020 and currently includes 80 wells covering about 55 hectares of waste (65 percent of the total waste area). The city expects to further expand this LFG collection system over time, resulting in an increase in the amount of gas collected.

The challenge

While collecting and flaring LFG does reduce GHG emissions, it does not eliminate them. One possibility for further reducing emissions is to use the LFG collected as a source of energy. This fuel can offset demand for energy from other sources while also providing a source of revenue for the waste management facility and the community. The challenge the City faced was determining the best way to use this gas, both from a fiscal perspective and in terms of environmental and social benefits.

Approach

The City of Winnipeg commissioned a study to explore four different scenarios:

1. Generating electricity in an on-site facility, then selling it to Manitoba Hydro.
2. Processing the LFG into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG), then selling it on the open market.
3. Processing the LFG into a low-grade fuel and supplying it to the University of Manitoba.
4. Selling raw LFG to an independent power producer.

Each of these scenarios was assessed for potential costs and benefits over a 20-year period, as well as for additional environmental, social and economic factors such as reducing Winnipeg’s carbon footprint.

One issue under consideration, for example, was the expected output of LFG from the facility. The team assessed various factors such as organics diversion rates and capture efficiency to come up with a realistic forecast to base revenue estimates on. The maturity of each technology was a consideration as well, as was the presence of existing test cases elsewhere in North America. The analysis also evaluated scenarios for contractual risks and regulatory requirements.

Barriers

One difficulty in conducting this study was obtaining accurate revenue figures from potential markets. Representatives of these markets were often reluctant to provide these numbers. Therefore, conservative figures were used with contingency added where necessary.

Results

Following the analysis, two scenarios—selling RNG on the open market and selling raw LFG to an independent power producer—were found to have the potential of generating revenue for the city, with a net present value of $21.36 million and $4.26 million respectively. Since the estimated revenue from the RNG option is significantly higher, study authors recommended that the city proceed with a business case and further estimate to build and operate a facility that will process and sell pipeline-quality gas.

Benefits

The completion of this study opens the door for Winnipeg to proceed toward making use of the LFG that is currently collected and flared at the Brady Road Resource Management Facility. Not only will this have the benefit of generating revenue, but it will help Winnipeg reach the GHG targets outlined in its Climate Action Plan, as the RNG produced can offset energy produced by natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Lessons learned

One key lesson from this project is the importance of keeping all stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the study. Even if public consultation is not required, including it in the process can help reduce project delays down the road, for instance due to citizens wishing to discuss concerns with the city.

Next steps

In March 2022, council agreed to move forward in negotiations to become a supplier of raw resource LFG to a third party, which will convert the gas to RNG and then sell it on the market. This option was chosen as it presents lower risk and liability as well as a more diverse client base. In addition, associated revenues are to go into a new reserve fund for climate change initiatives.

Summary

As municipalities make efforts to reduce their carbon footprints, one area of potential savings is the energy used by city buildings. The Arthur J. Leblanc Centre in Dieppe, New Brunswick, which was the highest energy user of all municipal facilities in the city, was a good place to start. Staff commissioned studies to learn how to make the building more energy efficient and discovered a series of strategies that will reduce the building’s emissions by more than 45 percent.

Background

Dieppe is a city of about 28,000 residents in southeastern New Brunswick, the fourth largest in the province and the largest francophone city in Canada outside Quebec. According to Dieppe’s strategic plan, the city intends to pursue development through responsible growth. This includes consideration of climate change risks as well as a balanced approach to asset management that takes into account longer-term and sustainability goals when planning renovations and upgrades.

New Brunswick’s electrical grid is carbon intensive, meaning that a large proportion of energy is generated from fossil fuels. This means significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved through energy efficiency and retrofit work.

The Arthur J. Leblanc Centre was originally built in 1972, with an additional Olympic-size rink added in 2002. It is one of two arenas in Dieppe and hosts an assortment of community activities, among them hockey, figure skating, ringette and speed skating as well as ice-free summer activities like ball hockey and a gymnasium.

After a city-wide evaluation of municipal property, the Centre also turned out to be the municipal building with the highest energy consumption in all of Dieppe, and therefore the facility with the greatest potential for reducing energy usage.

The challenge

It’s common for aging municipal infrastructure to need general upgrades and capital repairs, but often, tight budgets mean that staff must take a piecemeal approach to these renovations and deal with issues as they come up rather than planning holistically for the long term.

The city wanted to be more strategic about its facility upgrades while incorporating energy efficiency improvements. They were aiming to turn the Arthur J. Leblanc Centre into a net-zero building, but they were unsure what facility improvements would be most effective in helping them reach their emissions targets. In particular, they were interested in how a heat recovery system could reduce the building’s energy usage. The goal was to create a comprehensive plan to make the Centre more energy-efficient over time through various infrastructure upgrades and additions.

Approach

The city began with a series of public consultations and studies to assess the Centre’s energy usage and various ways it could be reduced. All proposals were considered from a sustainability point of view as well as based on cost and quality of services.

The feasibility study looked at the potential of a heat recovery project that would use waste heat from the refrigeration system to heat the building. Consultants estimated how much such a building retrofit project would cost as well as what the benefits would be, the study also considered a number of additional energy conservation measures, such as:

• an advanced control system
• improvements to maintenance protocols
• bringing the refrigeration facility up to modern code compliance

Results

The final feasibility study was a success for the following reasons:

• It demonstrated that there were major energy efficiency gains to be made through structural improvements to the Centre.
• It provided the city with a robust understanding of the various paths available to them.

Quote

“We were surprised at how much energy was available from the refrigeration system.”

– Rémi Comeau, Building Specialist, City of Dieppe

Benefits

Not only did the feasibility study help staff make informed decisions on energy-efficiency upgrades, but it provided them with additional ways for these capital improvements to help the community.

As well as increasing energy efficiency, some of the changes will boost comfort and enjoyment for facility users including better lighting as well as improved heating and cooling.

The city also plans to create a green fund as part of this project. Savings from lowered energy costs will go into this fund, to help pay for energy efficiency projects in other municipal facilities. Eventually, the projects will pay for themselves.

Next steps

Based on the various efficiency options proposed and with the help of additional funding from GMF, city staff designed a capital project called “Vers Net Zéro” (Toward Net Zero). The project includes 17 strategies to renovate and improve the building and its equipment, with the ultimate goal to reduce the Centre’s energy usage by 44 percent and its greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent.

The plan was submitted in August 2021 and the funding for this capital project has since been approved. Work is underway, and many steps have already been completed. Most of the Centre’s lighting has been converted to energy-efficient LED, some doors have been upgraded, and heat pump installation is in progress. Solar panels will be installed this summer, and upgrades are expected to be completed by fall 2023.