A partnership between the township and Centre Wellington Energy Innovations Inc. (CWEI) is expected to save money and act as an emergency power source at the Fergus arena.
The partnership resulted in a power purchase agreement for the delivery, supply, installation and maintenance of a hybrid emergency power generation system and combined heat and power generator for the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
During the recent annual CWEI meeting, an official ribbon cutting of the generator took place.
The Combined Heat and Power System (CHP) will produce up to 250kW (kilowatts) of power for the building which is approximately 80 per cent of the daily demand in the summer and approximately 60% of the demand over the winter months at the CW Community Sportsplex.
Over the year it will offset the energy currently provided from the grid by approximately 2,000,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) roughly equivalent to the amount of energy used in 160 homes per year.
By generating power locally, heat created by converting gas to electricity can in turn be used for environmental heating, pool heating, dehumidification, and in some cases cooling.
“Installation of this generator officially crosses off Action Item 1.5 from our 2015 Strategic Plan” said Mayor Kelly Linton.
“Selecting a co-generation energy solution, rather than a traditional diesel generator will provide our community with an emergency power back-up system and an energy producing system for the daily operation of the Sportsplex. It’s incredible that this green energy solution is expected to produce operational savings of $1 million over 10 years”.
The Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex is designated by council as an emergency shelter.
Prior to the installation of the CHP, there was no standby emergency power generation on site.
This equipment allows the township better use of the Sportsplex in an emergency situation as a shelter for the residents of Centre Wellington.
In the event of a long term grid outage the generators will provide 100% of the power required to fully operate the Sportsplex including the ice surface, pool and kitchen.
CWEI was recently established subsidiary of Centre Wellington Energy (CWE) and the township for the purposes of researching, developing and facilitating sustainable green energy.
The establishment of a hybrid emergency generator and CHP generator at the Sportsplex is a prime opportunity to fulfil the need for emergency power and provide a greener energy solution for the overall operation of this community facility.
Bill Oliphant, president of Centre Wellington Energy Innovations Inc. said “this project is a success because of the support of our local trades and expertise.”
Operations have commenced with August designated as the first billing period. It is expected this solution will reduce the overall operation costs by 10 to 15% within the first year of operation and save over $1 million within the first 10 years.
