Sustainability Initiatives at Algonquin

Huge shout out to Graham Timperon, and Ahmed Waked for this information : )

1. GGCRP Project: Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in the successful completion of the GGCRP project. This project consisted of converting our steam heating to hot water, retrofitting all lighting with LED, improving the day to day operations of all HVAC, installing 2 Cogeneration Engines to power, heat and cool the campus and more.

2. Microgrids with Siemens: We’ve implemented microgrids in collaboration with Siemens, contributing to more efficient and resilient energy distribution. Some example of what Microgrid is capable of;

2. 1. The system has full control over each building’s domestic hot water systems. Each building is capable of switching between a natural gas fired tank and an electric tank. Microgrid looks at the multiple factors and determines which system should operate in order to reduce GHGs.
   2. When our primary heating system supplied through the Cogeneration engines is not capable of supplying all the heat required by the campus the Mircrogrid enables an electric boiler to meet the load. This happens before we enable the back up natural gas fired boilers. This strategy reduces natural gas consumption and subsequent GHG emissions.

3. Battery Storage System (BESS): A significant milestone was achieved with the installation of a 500-kilowatt battery storage system, enhancing our capacity for sustainable energy management.

4. Two Solar Systems: Algonquin has embraced solar energy with the installation of two systems spanning different buildings, collectively generating 500 kilowatts of clean energy. We are currently in the design or preliminary design for 3 new solar arrays (500 kW approx)

5. We installed 8 electric vehicle charging stations.

6. Beginning in 2024 Algonquin College is starting a 4 year program of Existing building  commissioning (EBCx) with the goal to improve the operation of all existing building’s operations. Typical energy savings from this type of activity are between 5-15% according to Natural Resources Canada

7. We are installing 25 new Variable Speed drives to improve the operation of our hydronic pumping system. Phase 2 of this project will focus on drives associated with ventilation systems (fall 2024)

8. We recently retrofitted Perth Campus with LED lighting. The Pembroke campus is scheduled for an LED retrofit in in mid 2024.