The False Creek suburb in Vancouver, Canada, has been using an innovative technology to harness heat from wastewater as a renewable energy source to heat homes. This technology has been in use since 2010.
The heat is captured from the sewage system. This heat is generated from various sources such as dishwashers or long, hot showers.
Inside the False Creek facility, heat pump technology is used to heat up clean, fresh water on a separate circuit from the wastewater. This heat is then used to provide heating and hot water to buildings in the Southeast False Creek.
The residents of the 6,210 apartments in the False Creek neighbourhood get their heat from renewable energy sources, with sewage heat being the largest contributor. This approach is part of a global trend where municipalities are harnessing this underground form of excess heat as they decarbonise their energy networks.
