Grant: Alliance Grants
Simon Fraser University
$228,261.00
Sustainable Heat Transformation Technologies for Decarbonizing Community-Based Energy Systems
FY 2024-25
Summary
Dr. Bahrami at SFU and the City of Burnaby will collaborate on a 5-year joint NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate project to develop and pilot test novel pre-market solutions for sorption heat transformation systems (SORTABO) for heat pumps, AC, thermal storage, and CO2 capture to decarbonize community-based district energy systems.
The increasing demand for heating and AC has led to a surge in energy demand and emissions, particularly in cities, e.g., 54% of carbon emissions in Vancouver are due to building heating. A shift to fully electric heating may not be feasible due to the high investment and time required to increase grid capacity. SORTABO technologies use waste-heat as input energy, which is available from facilities like the Metro Vancouver Waste-to-Energy Facility, and are sustainable, reliable, quiet, cost-effective, and scalable. This project promotes a circular approach to reach net-zero targets in urban centres where 90% of Canadians live. CO2 capture using waste-heat will significantly reduce the Waste-to-Energy Facility's emissions, improving air quality. This project will advance community-centred clean energy innovation, aligned with Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan to build a sustainable and inclusive local economy and a robust, resilient energy grid. It offers significant economic, environmental, and health benefits for Canada and beyond by providing emission-free heating and cooling in communities. Moreover, the result of this research also benefits under-represented and equity-seeking groups, particularly low-income, isolated communities that are decentralized from electricity and natural gas distribution grids and currently depend on polluting and expensive diesel for their heating demands. The successful demonstration of these technologies will: i) provide a unique training opportunity for numerous highly qualified personnel, including Mitacs internships with district energy providers; ii) generate intellectual property, new engineering, and research jobs; and iii) provide significant export opportunities for Canadian companies.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
586445-2023
Name nom
Bahrami, Majid M
Department département
Mechatronic Systems Engineering
Organization id
5
Institution établissement
Simon Fraser University
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2023
Award amount
228261
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
305
Area of application group en
Energy resources
Area of application group fr
Ressources d'énergie
Area of application en
Energy storage and conversion
Area of application fr
Stockage et transformation de l'énergie
Research subject code
1804
Research subject group en
Chemical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie chimique
Research subject en
Heat transfer
Research subject fr
Transfert de chaleur
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Sustainable Heat Transformation Technologies for Decarbonizing Community-Based Energy Systems
Keywords
clean energy; co2 capture using waste heat; district energy system modelling; heat and mass transfer; sorption composites; sorption heat transformer; thermal energy storage; waste heat conversion; waste-heat driven air conditioning; waste-heat driven heat pump
Application summary
Dr. Bahrami at SFU and the City of Burnaby will collaborate on a 5-year joint NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate project to develop and pilot test novel pre-market solutions for sorption heat transformation systems (SORTABO) for heat pumps, AC, thermal storage, and CO2 capture to decarbonize community-based district energy systems.
The increasing demand for heating and AC has led to a surge in energy demand and emissions, particularly in cities, e.g., 54% of carbon emissions in Vancouver are due to building heating. A shift to fully electric heating may not be feasible due to the high investment and time required to increase grid capacity. SORTABO technologies use waste-heat as input energy, which is available from facilities like the Metro Vancouver Waste-to-Energy Facility, and are sustainable, reliable, quiet, cost-effective, and scalable. This project promotes a circular approach to reach net-zero targets in urban centres where 90% of Canadians live. CO2 capture using waste-heat will significantly reduce the Waste-to-Energy Facility's emissions, improving air quality. This project will advance community-centred clean energy innovation, aligned with Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan to build a sustainable and inclusive local economy and a robust, resilient energy grid. It offers significant economic, environmental, and health benefits for Canada and beyond by providing emission-free heating and cooling in communities. Moreover, the result of this research also benefits under-represented and equity-seeking groups, particularly low-income, isolated communities that are decentralized from electricity and natural gas distribution grids and currently depend on polluting and expensive diesel for their heating demands. The successful demonstration of these technologies will: i) provide a unique training opportunity for numerous highly qualified personnel, including Mitacs internships with district energy providers; ii) generate intellectual property, new engineering, and research jobs; and iii) provide significant export opportunities for Canadian companies.
