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City still has plans for
Angus Henderson conventional development over the
ahenderson@medicinehatnews.com term of the contract.
In addition, the city will create a
The present economic downturn has dedicated infrastructure replacement
temporarily put a halt to the city’s plans fund — funded by project revenues
energy storage project
for building an estimated $2.85 million — to provide the owner of the
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage development with funding to cover
(ATES) Pilot Project scheduled for the the costs associated with replacing
Southlands 4B R3 (medium density depreciated ATES infrastructure. The
residential district) site. replacement fund could also be used
According to city environment manager,
to replace the ATES with traditional
Russ Smith, project costs would include
heating/cooling equipment — at the
$940,000 from his department’s Nature’s
choice of the property owner — at the
Best Reserve, and contributions from
end of the 25-year contract, in the event
Sustainable Development Technology
that either party decides not to extend
Canada, Natural Resources Canada and
the service contract.
a developer connection fee. Technical work had earlier been
The proposed aquifer project is one of
completed by the city’s environment
a number of alternative energy projects
department to confirm that there was
the city has identified, including wind
a suitable aquifer under Southlands
and solar power.
to support the heating and cooling
requirements of a multi-family
The project was put on hold last fall
residential complex.
after no local builders responded to
an expression of interest (EOI). At the
The Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage
time, Peter Finlay, commissioner of
(ATES) is a subset of underground
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT
corporate services, explained to city
thermal energy storage (UTES)
The City’s plans for building an estimated $2.85 million Aquifer Thermal council that city staff had met with local
technology.
Energy Storage Pilot Project, scheduled for the Southlands' residential district,
builders and contractors to investigate The idea behind ATES is: store the
has been put on hold due to the recent economic downturn.
why they chose not to submit a bid. cold of the heat when it is available and
The reason given from the local builders
retrieve it for use when it is needed.
and contractors was the softening local
During the summer, cool water from
housing market and the excess number
a cold well is pumped from the well
of multi-family units in the market at
to the building ventilation system for
that time.
direct cooling. In cooling down the air,
the water picks up thermal energy and
Pending better housing market
becomes warmer. This warm water is
conditions, the EOI is expected to be
returned to the hot well at a different
re-advertised in the spring/summer
location.
of 2009 and will amended to be more
attractive to builders and contractors.
In the winter, the flow is reversed. Warm
water is pumped from the hot well and
The property will be offered on the
sent through the heating system to pre-
market for a multi-family or institutional
heat building intake air. In transferring
residential development.
thermal energy to the air, water becomes

Smith told the News that although the cooler. The cooler water is returned to
*allons - that’s a lot of Pickles funding is in place for the project. He’s the cold well and the cycle then repeats
or wine, or sauerkraut, or eggs, or fish or . . .
still hoping to find a partner who is itself the next year.
willing to build the project.
The use of the ATES system is projected
“I’m working with a couple of potentially to reduce the non-renewable energy
interested partners to try to understand consumption of the proposed 144 unit
if there is something to make sense so multi-family residential complex by 65
that we can bring something forward to per cent, resulting in annual greenhouse
city council,” he added. gas reductions of 420 tonnes. The
The ATES (Aquifer Thermal Energy
annual energy saved by the project is
Storage Site) will be amended to
estimated to provide enough energy for
guarantee that the energy supplied
50 single family homes.
Discover more at the Historic Clay District
to the residences utilizing the ATES A two-building condominium complex
Museum . Working Pottery . Gift Shop
technology will be priced at no more is presently assumed as the basic
40261141•03/11/09
than 90 per cent of the cost of equivalent configuration, with each building
713 Medalta Ave SE www.medalta.org 403.529.1070 conventional heating/cooling for a having four levels and 72 units.
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