An innovative energy recovery system will be constructed at the Saanich Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Plant thanks to $2.98 million in funding from the federal Gas Tax Fund. This new energy recovery system will capture thermal energy from effluent to provide hot water and space heating in the treatment plant and adjacent facilities, including the Panorama Recreation Centre, the Centre for Plant Health, and an elementary school.
The new project will test an innovative heat recovery system design. Existing guidelines state that the maximum distance from the heat recovery source to the heat users is 500 metres. This project will push that distance to 600 metres. The project will size the transmission piping to enable maximum energy capture from the effluent, which will allow for future expansion at the facilities, or for the addition of new energy users. The project will also install a micro-turbine at the wastewater treatment plant outfall to generate electricity.
“The proposed thermal energy recovery system is truly an innovative way of turning wastewater effluent into a productive energy source for the Capital Regional District,” said Ida Chong, British Columbia Minister of Trade, Technology and Economic Development.
