October 2005 ISSUE
THE KEYSER FILE
The Enlightened Folks Of Vulcan, Alberta
 |
Vulcan has already capitalized on its fictional connection to outer space. But now the tiny town could end up with another celestial claim to fame - by becoming Canada's first municipality to use the sun as a major, community-wide heating source.
BY Tom Keyser
Freelance Columnist
If you haven't visited the pleasant Southern Alberta town of Vulcan, you're missing a treat. It's one of the most creative and forward-looking small towns in the West.
Tiny Vulcan, situated halfway between Calgary and Lethbridge, has turned
itself into a tourist destination of sorts, making the most of its Star Trek
connection. Mr. Spock is a Vulcan, you probably recall, and the town has loads
of fun with its pointy-eared, fictitious favourite son.
But here’s a more serious note. If town council and two dedicated APEGGA
members have their way, Vulcan (population: 1,800) has a chance to establish
itself as a national beacon for intelligent, economical and environmentally safe
energy consumption.
Morten Pedersen, P.Eng., of M.V. Pedersen Engineering Inc., and his colleague, Jim O'Keefe, P.Eng., of O'Keefe Energy Consulting, are about to present the town with a completed design study on the installation of a football field-sized slab of solar heating panels for thermal storage, a biomass combustion boiler, and a combined heat and power gas turbine.
The ultimate goal: to provide clean and inexpensive hot water heat to 1,000 households, businesses and government buildings in Vulcan.
 |
Solar Power Harvesters |
Big Savings Possible
It's all about renewable energy and it's a fascinating scheme. If the plan comes
to fruition — and there's no reason to doubt it will — residents
will realize 20 per cent savings on their heating bills and shield themselves
from rising natural gas prices.
Small wonder that Mayor Dave Mitchell told the Vulcan Advocate: “This is good for every resident of Vulcan. How could we not want that?"
The story took root almost five years ago when the two engineers first hammered out their concept and began shopping it to the private sector.
All agreed it was a splendid and workable proposal. But oil prices were lounging in the $10-a-barrel range and nobody saw a pressing need to worry about fuel costs.
Then Mr. Pedersen and Mr. O'Keefe tried a new tack. They targeted small towns south and west of Calgary because of their high solar radiation levels. The first — and the last — they approached was Vulcan, which evaluated the pitch and bought in.
“We had no funding. We had an idea," recalls Mr. O'Keefe, who spent 20 years buying and selling commercial projects in the oil and gas business. “We said to town council, ‘If you are willing to be an advocate for this, we can assist you in making application to provincial and federal funding agencies."
Rounding up the Bucks
Long story short, the enlightened councillors nodded in the affirmative. But
it took the engineers two years to raise the cash required for the design study.
Ultimately, the town anted up $50,000, with Alberta Climate Change adding $50,000
more and the Canadian Federation of Municipalities doubling the total with another
$100,000.
With the engineers' help and guidance, the town will now move to present the completed study to government funders and private enterprise, in hopes of landing grants or interest-free loans to finance construction of the $15-million project.
Mr. O'Keefe is optimistic. “People are very reluctant to finance a study," a fact he has learned from long experience. “They're much more encouraged by a tangible project."
The Denmark Precedent
And how’s this for tangible. The plan itself is modelled on a successful
prototype, already up and running in Marstal, Denmark, which is the largest thermal
solar site in the world.
Mr. O'Keefe and Mr. Pedersen are also quick to praise a similar, though much smaller, effort in Okotoks. Developers in the town minutes south of Calgary have already started construction on a subdivision of 52 homes, with each garage outfitted with solar panels.
Back in Vulcan, however, the engineers realize that solar power can't carry the energy burden alone, particularly during winter. Companion energy sources are an essential ingredient.
Currently, the plan is to burn straw, wood waste and even municipal landfill waste in a high-tech incinerator designed to minimize particulate emissions by incorporating the ultimate in scrubbing and filtering systems.
Mr. O'Keefe stresses another major plus: the experiment represents a whole new industry for the town and will employ local people.
But perhaps the final word is best left to Alcide Cloutier, Vulcan town administrator: “Our mayor, David Mitchell, the councillors and the residents in Vulcan are very excited about this project and the more we look into it, the more excited we get.
“Mr. O'Keefe and Mr. Pedersen really believe in this project. There's a major trust between the town and these two gentlemen."