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Utilization of Local Energy Sources

Is your community increasingly concerned about high fuel costs, dependence on imported energy supply and the environmental effects of its energy choices? CanmetENERGY’s Community Planning Group can help your community meet its energy needs more efficiently and cost effectively. This fact sheet is one in a series of case studies highlighting how our Group can help you identify and develop opportunities for the use of district heating and cooling, combined heat and power, waste heat recovery and local renewable energy sources.


The City of Charlottetown has a population of approximately 32,531. It is located roughly at the centre of the 224 kilometre long island. The Island’s search for an alternative source of energy began in the late 1970’s. Without any indigenous fossil fuels in commercial quantities, the province had always been dependent on imported oil and electricity. Large volumes of municipal waste were produced every year and landfill sites for waste disposal were limited. Attention became focused on using this municipal waste as a means of producing energy. Moreover, half of the province is covered by wood lots and much of these do not meet the lumber industry standards, however, they represent a source of inexpensive locally available fuel. With such an abundance of waste and trees ready for harvest, a biomass district heating system appeared to be an obvious choice for Prince Edward Island.

The System

In 1983, the energy-from-waste plant, which converts municipal waste into steam began operation. Three years later, Canada’s first hot water district heating system burning wood chips opened. The system, then owned and operated by the province, was an integral part of PEI’s economic development and environmental strategy. The energy-from-waste plant burns approximately 30,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year and supplies 48 million kilograms of steam to the Queen Elizabeth and Hillsborough Hospitals, with the remainder of the energy produced being supplied to the hot water district heating system. This has meant the displacement of approximately 7.7 million litres of oil. The use of municipal waste has enabled their current landfill site to retain its capacity and reduced the landfill requirements.

The use of sawmill waste, collected locally and from New Brunswick as a source of energy has meant the displacement of an additional 7.6 million litres of oil. At the outset, the total heating load at peak capacity of the Charlottetown system was 33 MWth with an electrical load of 1.2 MWe. The distribution system has been designed for 120°C maximum supply temperature and a maximum pressure of 1,722 kPa. The Charlottetown district heating and cogeneration system extends for 15 km between the energy-from-waste plant and customer buildings in downtown Charlottetown and the area surrounding the University of Prince Edward Island. In 1997, the energy-from-waste plant underwent a multi-million dollar upgrade and expansion, including the addition of a new heat recovery boiler and a wood waste combustion system. State-of-the-art air pollution equipment was also installed, and a multicyclone particulate removal system was incorporated into the wood waste stream. Within the plant, water is heated to produce steam in either the heat recovery boilers or the wood waste boilers. A new heat recovery boiler, with the capacity of 7.9 MW was added in the expansion. The older boiler, with a capacity of 4.9 MW is used as standby. Steam produced at the plant drives a turbine generator which produces electricity for in-house use, as well as for the local grid. The steam from the back pressure turbine is converted to hot water for the district heating system. Currently the district heating/cogeneration system provides heat to over 80 buildings. The main customers include the Province of Prince Edward Island, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the University of Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic Veterinary College, two malls, larger commercial buildings, retail stores, apartment buildings and a few private residences.

Benefits of District Energy

• Charlottetown has reduced its dependency on imported oil with 45% of fuel being generated by municipal waste and 45% generated by sawmill waste.
• Estimates indicate that for every dollar spent on biomass fuel, 70¢ stays in the local economy compared to 10¢ for every dollar spent on oil.
• Estimates show that CO₂ emissions are reduced annually by 48,900 tonnes and SO_x by 135 tonnes.
• The system has created new opportunities for sawmill operators.