David MacMillan Profile picture
Dec 13, 2022 10 tweets 5 min read Read on X
Last week, Toronto Community Housing issued a Request for Proposals for a “District Energy System Consultant - Regent Park Revitalization Phases 4 and 5”. torontohousing.ca/doing-business… This is an incredible opportunity. #TransformTO 🧵 1/10
First, some context. Here is the overall phasing plan for Regent Park, as well as the proposed massing and estimated construction schedule for Phases 4 & 5. 2/10
Here is the existing district energy system, which is supplied by a main plant in the parking garage of 252 Sackville Street (Block 14), and a satellite plant on the roof of Block 16N (NW corner of Oak & Sumach) currently under construction. There is also a small microgrid. 3/10
The goal is to expand the existing system, but it won’t simply be a matter of extending pipes. The new TCHC buildings (and later the market buildings) must achieve a GHGI of less than 5 kgCO2/m2 per the Toronto Green Standard, which effectively prohibits fossil gas heating. 4/10
However, the current heating sources are fossil gas-based. These are photos of the boilers and the reciprocating engines (for combined heat and power) in the main plant. 5/10
Therefore, TCHC is requiring respondents to also evaluate a smaller district energy system serving only Phases 4 & 5 (i.e. new node), as well as building-scale solutions (i.e. standalone). 6/10
Crucially, an expanded district energy system would be expected to reduce *overall* emissions, which means reducing the use of existing fossil gas equipment that is not yet at end of life. 7/10
Furthermore, there must be a business case. Regent Park Energy Inc. – the TCHC subsidiary responsible for the district energy system – needs to be profitable. TCHC also has development partners, so the low carbon solution needs to be cost-competitive. 8/10
To summarize: TCHC is seeking a consultant to devise a strategy that will reduce overall emissions at Regent Park while growing by 3 million square feet, and provide cost-competitive energy services to all buildings while maintaining energy system profitability. 9/10
This RFP closes January 13. Please note, the successful proponent for this RFP is excluding from the future RFP for detailed design services. TCHC is using a Qualification-Based Selection procurement approach, which I think makes sense for such a complex project. 10/10

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More from @urbanenergyplan

Nov 15, 2022
🧵Great presentations and discussion on the approaches to #DistrictEnergy development in Denmark and Canada (mostly ON and BC). TL;DR, they are very different! Thanks @ULIToronto and @BTYGroup 1/8
Denmark responded to the 1970s oil crisis with strong regulation of the heat sector. As Lars Hummelrose of @DBDHdk shows, in some ways it looks like Ontario’s regulation of electricity. 2/8
This provides certain advantages, including massive thermal networks (99% of Copenhagen buildings are connected), as well as thermal/electrical integration and advanced fuel switching, as illustrated here by Maëlle Caussarieu from the City of Copenhagen. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
Sep 6, 2022
A thread on urban trees.🌳🌳🌳
TL;DR: We should repurpose the publicly-owned right of way (RoW) to grow our urban tree canopy. 1/12
Background:

Two weeks ago @todd_irvine wrote a great thread explaining why Lower Sherbourne's street trees are thriving 2/12
Then last week, @GraphicMatt explained that the city-wide tree canopy may actually be shrinking... thestar.com/opinion/contri…

...and @EmmaRoseTeitel wrote about one resident's efforts to replace a tree on their property. thestar.com/opinion/star-c… 3/12
Read 12 tweets
Aug 22, 2022
While it's true that the Ford government has no climate action plan and is providing next to no support for municipal action, I think there is a lot more that the Mayors and Councillors quoted here can do on their own. 🧵1/9
On new development specifically, municipalities can "compel sustainability in [private] buildings". Toronto has the Toronto Green Standard, which we apply using Site Plan Control, through authority in the Planning Act and City of Toronto Act (COTA). 2/9 taf.ca/green-developm…
All Ontario municipalities have the same authorities as Toronto (through the Municipal Act), which is how Whitby developed their green building standard. whitby.ca/en/work/whitby… Ottawa is next and others are currently working on their own. 3/9
Read 9 tweets
Jul 20, 2022
Finally read @jm_mcgrath's article on the Etobicoke Civic Centre Precinct low carbon district energy project, one of our first DE projects. Long-thread🧵 on it's journey, which I joined in 2013, but which really started early post-amalgamation: tvo.org/article/breaki…
1999: City Council received the report "Accommodation Plan and Long-term Strategy for Service Delivery for the City of Toronto and Master Plan for Office Accommodation" (aka the original #ModernTO), which identified the need for new facilities for west sector City staff. 1/18
2002: City identifies "new development at the City-owned former Westwood Theatre lands", pending reconfiguration of the Six Points Interchange. Proposed development process would include analyzing "feasibility of a zero-energy or near zero building". toronto.ca/legdocs/2003/a… 2/18
Read 19 tweets
May 10, 2022
🚨BIG NEWS!🚨The OEB has denied Enbridge's request to replace a 20 km section of the St. Laurent pipeline in Ottawa, stating, "The OEB finds that the need for the Project and the alternatives to the Project have not been appropriately assessed." 🧵 1/10 rds.oeb.ca/CMWebDrawer/Re…
Intervenors, including City of Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing and Pollution Probe, presented evidence that focused on "actions and plans of these organizations to reduce their natural gas demand within the area served by the St. Laurent system." 2/10
e.g. retrofit programs (Better Homes Loan Program betterhomesottawa.ca/rebate-and-inc…), building policies (High Performance Development Standard engage.ottawa.ca/ottawa-high-pe…), and the federal government's ongoing work to modernize Ottawa's district energy system nationalcapitaldistrictenergy.ca/en/. 3/10
Read 12 tweets

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