Athlete's Village

Terasen helped the Resort Municipality of Whistler develop a sustainable energy strategy at the Whistler Athlete’s Village. The village is being built to green building standards, using smart growth principles, and with a goal of meeting LEEDS Neighbourhood Development standards.

 

This strategy addressed the energy needs of the Athlete’s Village to be constructed for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to be used for housing once the games are over.

 

The village is incorporating a district energy system that will utilize waste heat from the effluent of the waste water treatment plant, located across the Cheakamus River. Using heat exchangers, this energy is transferred to a fluid which is pumped around the village in pipes. The fluid in the pipes is then upgraded by heat pumps in the homes to produce useable heat for space heating and domestic hot water production.

 

This district energy system will provide in excess of 90 percent of the annual heating requirements and up to 75 percent of the domestic hot water requirements for the village, with the cost to the consumer equal to or less than the cost for conventional heating systems.

 

As the village expands in the future, the municipality is also considering the possibility of using methane gas from the closed landfill as an additional possible energy source.

 

Terasen ownership of alternative energy systems is growing. With our expertise and experience, we can identify the right system for your development. Contact us for a free preliminary assessment to find out how your development can reduce its environmental footprint.