Toronto Western Hospital is launching the largest wastewater heating system in the world.

Yup, the hospital will get 90% of its heating from heat exchangers that suck heat out of Toronto's sewer system and then upgrades the temperature with heat pumps to heat the hospital complex. It's just like geoexchange systems (geothermal) except the heat comes from the sewer instead of the Earth.

If this sounds crappy, consider the hospital will save $700,000 per year on utility costs.

We talk to Ed Rubenstein formerly of the University Health Network and now the VP of Business Development with Noventa Energy, the company that built the $43 million project.

GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

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Our full interview with Ed Whittingham on his new podcast "Scrubbing the Sky" involves going beyond energy transition to zero-emissions energy and also capturing carbon from the atmosphere and locking it up.In this episode, we take a deep dive into why some believe we need to go beyond energy transition and directly capture carbon from the atmosphere to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Whittingham reveals where the idea for the podcast came from, what can be done to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and who is doing it.Surprise, surprise! One of the key figures in direct air capture of carbon dioxide is Dr. David Keith, a physicist and a co-host of the "Energy vs Climate" podcast along with Ed Whittingham and Dr. Sarah Hastings-Simon.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Scrubbing the Sky with EdWhittingham

02:22 - Who is Ed Whittingham?

03:03 - Origin of the Idea for Scrubbing the Sky Podcast

04:27 - Understanding ‘Scrubbing the Sky’

05:58 - Have temperatures already surpassed the 1.5 degreelimit?

07:13 - Idea of scrubbing the sky and Jules Verne

09:59 - Types of Carbon Removal

14:52 - Dr. David Keith’s Engagement with Carbon Removal

20:19 - Two more Companies involved in Carbon Removal

22:36 - Geoengineering vs. Carbon Removal

30:46 - Is this a distraction from energy transition?

33:35 - Goals for the Scrubbing the Sky podcast

38:05 - Wrapup and Energy vs Climate Podcast

39:09 - Extro

GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com short feature - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3hTpSnmMBYTHKRGy809wYp?si=2SWYAwAzQYerSmhz-VP4Hw

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Ed Whittingham calls himself "a climate citizen at large." He's also the host of the Energy vs Climate podcast, the former executive director of the Pembina Institute and the host of a new podcast called "Scrubbing the Sky."

He says we will have to do more than transition our energy systems to zero-carbon sources to combat climate change.

To stave off the worst impacts of climate change he says we will need to remove carbon from the atmosphere by scrubbing the sky.

GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

FULL INTERVIEW - https://youtu.be/YtqS697fMEE

We barely scratch the surface of this story in our short radio feature, check out our full interview to learn more about the different ways of removing carbon and about the companies doing it already including Dr. David Keith, a physicist who founded Carbon Engineering. Oh, by the way Keith is also a co-host of Whittingham's other podcast entitled "Energy vs Climate."

Heat pumps are taking the world by storm and Blatchford Carbon Neutral Community has both ground-source and air-source heat pumps, heating and cooling the homes of this super-sustainable neighbourhood.

Blatchford has a green building code and an amazing geoexchange district energy sharing system.

It all starts with 570 bore holes beneath a lake that feed into Energy Centre One where a massive heat pump further upgrades the temperature of the fluids before sending it off the the homes of Blatchford where heat pumps effortlessly heat or cool the homes.

Residents were skeptical at first, but nearly every person we talked to loves their heat pump and especially the fact that these units provide up to 700% energy-efficient air conditioning, which is a big help during those increasing summer heat domes.

One builder in Blatchford is using air-source heat pumps along with solar, which produces a near-zero utility bill.

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BLOG - https://greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/401-magic-of-heat-pumps-in-blatchford-carbon-neutral-community

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Kassandra and Martin were looking for a new home in the core of the City and they hoped to include some green features in their home. But then they discovered Blatchford Carbon Neutral Community, and as Martin said "Boom Done."

They found Landmark Homes in Blatchford, and their home is solar powered, heated by a super energy-efficient air-source heat pump, and it's super energy efficient.

The big BONUS! This net-zero home has only one utility bill (electricity) and there's a good chance the cost will net out to zero cost over the year. And they're protected from heat domes thanks to their heat pump, future energy costs and more.

GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

BLOG - https://greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/solar-serendipity-discovering-our-eco-friendly-net-zero-home-in-blatchford

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/Oxm6nTABUtM

This is part 5 in our Blatchford, Carbon Neutral Community Series

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