Grande Prairie, Alberta: The town of Grande Prairie’s Eastlink Centre in its Community Knowledge Campus is due to receive two microturbine-based cogen units.
With financial support from Alberta’s Municipal Climate Change Action Centre Recreation Program (MCCAC Rec Program), an engineering study was performed, resulting in a project plan to outfit the Centre with energy efficient Combined Heat and Power microturbines. Flex Energy Solutions’ Flex Turbines® were selected for the project after a qualification process and evaluation. The results of the study showed that the Eastlink Center could offset over 5,000,000 kWh of grid electricity, reducing GHG emissions by over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Two Flex Turbine GT333S units will be delivered to the Centre by December 15, 2020 and installed by January 31, 2021.
The MCCAC Rec Program delivers funding, technical assistance, and education to help Alberta municipalities, school authorities and community related organizations advance actions that lower energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve climate resilience. Grande Prairie’s Eastlink Centre was cited as an ideal candidate for the MCCAC funding.
In 2014, as part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Partners for Climate Protection Program (PCPP), Grande Prairie embarked on a mission to reduce the municipality’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20% over the next 10 years. Because 45% of Canada’s GHG emissions come from burning fuel for facility electricity and heat, the City began to approach its PCPP goals by zeroing in on facilities that consumed the largest amount of energy. “With its expansive amenities, multiple pools, saunas, water slides, sports and fitness areas, and multipurpose rooms, the Eastlink Centre is probably one of, if not the biggest energy consuming facilities in the City’s portfolio,” said Michelle Gairdner, Manager of Energy and Environmental Services for the City of Grande Prairie.