INNOVATION November-December 2016

f ea t u r e s

It’s an example BC public sector organisations, among many others, have already begun to embrace. Under BC law, all public sector buildings, including hospitals and schools, are required to be carbon neutral and meet stringent emissions reduction targets. “We are always looking for attractive natural gas and greenhouse gas reductions,” says Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Energy Manager Kori Jones, EIT. The authority is currently working with SES Consulting on a retrofit heat recovery chiller project for the 17-storey Jim Pattison Pavilion tower on the main campus of Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). The building has a large central atrium that provides lots of light but, combined with other heat-intensive activities within the building, creates the need for extensive cooling year round. “We will use heat captured from the condenser side of the chiller to supply medium- grade heat throughout the building and reduce the current steam load,” Jones says. “By reducing our steam load, we will reduce our emissions.”

SES currently estimates the potential for natural gas savings to be in the range of 39,000 gigajoules per year, which is very high, says Jones. “That’s about seven to eight percent of the natural gas requirement for all of VGH, and represents about 1,900 tonnes of CO 2 that will no longer be going out into our atmosphere.” The authority feels the payback for this project to be a reasonable five to six years, but Jones emphasises that the reasons for reducing emissions go beyond return on investment. “Reducing our environmental impact in healthcare facilities, operations and services affects the health of the populations we are meant to serve.” Says Scott Sinclair, “This technology can be used in hundreds of facilities across the province—anywhere where cooling and heating are occurring at the same time. There is so much potential in the existing building sector that I believe we could actually meet the IPCC’s 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction target and any Vancouver targets, no matter how high.” v

time for an upgrade?

Since graduation, you’ve upgraded your computer, your cell phone and probably even your car. What about you? Isn’t it time you thought about upgrading your knowledge and skills? Upgrade — your way — with an on-line Master’s program. The on-line Master’s program in Electric Power Engineering in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, o€ers advanced, state-of-the-art, training in Electric Power Engineering. The Program is designed for engineering personnel from the electric power industry, electrical engineering graduates, and other professionals looking to upgrade and accelerate their career in the power and energy sector. The program o€ers a full spectrum of courses, o€ered over three terms each year, which are relevant to the power industry. Courses are taught by world-class faculty members from the Department’s Power & Energy Systems Group; one of the best power engineering research groups in North America. Program Information One of the following three program options is available to all program participants: » Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electric Power Engineering : Awarded on completion of 9 courses » Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Electric Power Engineering : Awarded on completion of 6 courses » Certificate of Completion : Awarded on completion of a single course. The MEng and GDip Programs are fully approved by the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies. For more information on course schedules, fees, and other details, please visit ece.uwaterloo.ca/onlineMEng .

ON-LINE MASTER’S PROGRAM In Electric Power Engineering University of Waterloo | Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

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