Alternatives North is pleased to announce additional positive results from analyzing the potential of Biomass District Heating in areas surrounding downtown Yellowknife.
This addendum further informs potential developers, proving that there is plenty of potential to grow a system beyond the downtown Yellowknife area.
“Our analysis continues to show that a large-scale biomass district heating system in and around downtown Yellowknife would have tremendous benefits, and with such a strong business case and proven growth potential we’re confident that we can interest commercial developers,” stated Lachlan MacLean, Alternatives North member and project manager.
This report builds on Alternatives North’s previous analysis that showed a biomass district heating system in downtown Yellowknife has the potential to reduce emissions, save customers on annual heating costs, and still turn a profit.
Alternatives North partnered with the City of Yellowknife and Arctic Energy Alliance, and engaged multiple key customers in the target area. The study represents the most detailed analysis to date on heating energy use in downtown Yellowknife.
FVB, an engineering and management consulting company specializing in District Energy conducted the feasibility analysis. FVB has extensive experience with all stages of district energy system development within Canada, including Yellowknife, and around the world. FVB previously analyzed the potential for geothermal district heating conducted by the City of Yellowknife in 2011.
Funding was generously provided through a grant from the Government of Canada’s Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity (Northern REACHE) program.
Alternatives North is a Territorial social and environmental justice coalition based in Yellowknife. We have participated in climate change planning and actions over the past decade, publishing reports on “100% Renewable by 2050” (2016), “Climate Emergency: Getting the NWT off Diesel” (2020), and “Evaluating NWT’s Renewable Energy Technologies” (2021) prior to this work.
Contact: Lachlan MacLean, 867-446-5484; lachlan.maclean.yk@gmail.com