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Abstract: This paper presents an assessment of two solar assisted heat pump systems integrated into an air distribution system in three different 210 m2 single detached residential houses in Montreal, Canada. The housing types considered are a 1980''s house, an energy efficient house and a “net zero ready” house. The advanced heat pump systems considered in the analysis focused on coupling solar energy on the evaporator side of an air source and water source heat pumps to improve performance compared to a standard air source heat pump and provide an alternative to a costly ground source heat pump system. The annual energy consumption and utility cost of the solar assisted heat pump systems were compared to a market available air source heat pump, a ground source heat pump system as well as the typical reference housing heating and cooling system. The results predicted that a solar assisted air source heat pump has a comparable capital cost to a ground source heat pump system in all housing types and the highest energy savings for a “net zero ready” house of 34% compared to the base case. The solar assisted water source heat pump did not yield interesting results, as the solar assisted air source heat pump demonstrated improved energy savings and lower capital costs in all housing types considered. Comparing the 20 year life cycle costs of the solar assisted heat pump systems to the base case, only in the 1980''s housing archetype did the solar assisted air source heat pump system demonstrate a lower life cycle cost than the base case. A standard air source heat pump yielded the lowest life cycle cost in the 1980''s and energy efficient house considered and the reference base case system had the lowest life cycle cost in the net zero ready house considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In Canada, off-grid power production is significant, with more than 200,000 people living in about 300 remote communities scattered across Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and other islands. Most of these isolated sites rely on diesel to generate electricity. The operation of these remote isolated grids run on a deficit in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars yearly and must therefore be subsidized by the government. Low and high penetration wind–diesel hybrid systems (WDS) have been experimented to reduce diesel consumption. In a previous article, we explored the re-engineering of current diesel power plants with the introduction of high penetration wind systems using compressed air energy storage (CAES). This is a viable alternative to increase the overall percentage of renewable energy and reduce the cost of electricity, to increase the diesel engine lifetime and efficiency and to decrease their fuel consumption and GHG emissions. In this paper, we present the operative principle of this hybrid system, its economic benefits and advantages. Finally, we apply this concept in the case of a Canadian Nordic village to demonstrate the real energetic, ecological and economic potential of this system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy sources such as oil, natural gas, and coal currently account for around 80% of the world’s primary energy consumption. Despite significant investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, that Canada and others are making, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that as the global economy continues to grow, fossil fuels will continue to dominate the world’s energy supply for decades. Reconciling the world’s ongoing reliance on fossil fuels with the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is then one of our greatest challenges. Canada is taking this challenge seriously with climate change policies that include enhancing our global leadership in advancing one of the most promising technologies for reducing GHG emissions from fossil fuel use: Carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS is only one of several technologies that must be deployed and is not a ‘silver-bullet’ for meeting Canada’s target of reducing its GHG emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020. Yet, CCS is one of the only technologies currently available for making emissions reductions from large-scale fossil fuel usage–and, thus, will be a critical component of the technology puzzle for Canada to meet its emissions reduction objectives. Canada has a number of key sectors where the deployment of CCS is needed and there are opportunities to advance the technology. These include coal-fired electricity plants, the oil sands, and natural gas processing (e.g. from the new development of shale gas) -though the opportunity and demand for advancing CCS technology also exists in other sectors such as chemicals, fertilizer, steel making, and cement. Federal and provincial governments in Canada are making substantial investments in CCS, committing upwards of $3 billion in public funding towards seven large-scale fully-integrated CCS demonstration projects. The federal ecoENERGY Technology Initiative announced $151 million for the initial engineering and/or pilot stages of seven potential demonstration projects in 2008. The 2009 federal budget created Clean Energy Fund, which included $610 million for CCS demonstrations. The Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia have also committed funding for demonstrations, in particular $2 billion by Alberta. This public funding will leverage additional investment from industry, for projects that will each capture and store on the order of 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year, coming on-line starting in 2015 or sooner. This paper will provide an overview of Canada’s actions on advancing CCS deployment, with a focus on the CCS demonstration program and current R&D activities in Canada. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]