PROJECT UPDATE

HRM Starts Alderney 5 Geothermal Cold Energy Storage System

(Wednesday, January 6, 2010) - The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has started operating the geothermal cold energy storage system as part of the Alderney 5 Energy Project. The project uses natural gas, efficiency strategies and leading edge geothermal technology. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 900 tonnes per year.

Currently the cold energy storage system is charging. In the spring, it will be used to provide air conditioning to municipal buildings on the Dartmouth waterfront.

“Alderney 5, the only system of its kind in the world, has the potential to produce significant operating and capital cost savings,” said Mayor Peter Kelly. “Already the project has resulted in savings of $350,000 in energy costs and is contributing to Council’s commitment to meet a 20 per cent greenhouse gas reduction target by 2012.”

HRM now has more geothermal systems than anywhere else in Atlantic Canada. The lessons learned with this project have been a catalyst to understand and operate other geothermal systems. Community centres in East Dartmouth, Fall River and Prospect also use geothermal technology.

“In Alderney 5's case, with the pending phase-out of CFC-based air conditioning and increasing demand for air conditioning, this technology is a prime example of how sustainable, integrated energy solutions can be used to reduce carbon cost effectively,” said Julian Boyle, project
manager.

The underground thermal energy storage (UTES) system was constructed by drilling 80 holes, each 500 feet deep and coupling it with a seawater cooling system. Cold energy will be harvested during the winter months and stored underground in the rock mass via borehole heat exchangers.

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Contact:

Mayor Peter Kelly
490-4010

Julian Boyle
Alderney 5 Project Manager
476-8075