Sewage to clean energy cuts hospital’s carbon emissions by 85%.

The heating and cooling of Canada’s homes and buildings is responsible for nearly 18% of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fortunately, renewable energy companies like Noventa Energy Partners (Noventa) are finding innovative solutions that could help reduce the carbon offsets of our buildings.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Dennis Fotinos, Noventa has embarked in one of the most ambitious renewable-energy ventures to date – the construction and operation of the world’s largest wastewater energy transfer project, located at Toronto Western Hospital.

“Wastewater is an untapped renewable energy source that is underutilized in North America. With the potential to supply over 350 billion kilowatt-hours of low carbon thermal energy, wastewater energy transfer can be used to heat and cool our buildings to help us meet our climate change commitments,” said Dennis.

This project, which is scheduled to become operational in the summer of 2024, received funding from both the public and private sectors, including a $15.3 million loan from Vancity Community Investment Bank (VCIB) – a Vancity subsidiary based in Toronto.

Redefining waste fuels a greener tomorrow.

Over the next 30 years, Noventa’s wastewater energy transfer technology will produce enough thermal energy to supply 90% of the hospital’s heating and cooling needs and will reduce its carbon emissions by a quarter of a million tonnes – which is equivalent to removing nearly 2,000 cars worth of carbon each year.  

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This is one of the first projects of this scale to use raw municipal wastewater from a sewer to provide low carbon heating and cooling to a building, which serves as a testament to the impact reimagining energy can have in supporting a sustainable tomorrow.

“To achieve the net-zero future we want, it’s important to support lesser-known technologies like the raw wastewater project delivered by Noventa,” said Alfred Lee, Climate Finance Manager at VCIB. “As part of the Vancity Group, our aim is to be at the forefront of financing renewable energy projects across the country.”

For Dennis, this milestone "would not have been possible without the support of the University Health Network and the City of Toronto and our project partners, Enbridge Gas, the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Vancity Community Investment Bank.”