Two 20-storey apartment buildings in the Bronx, New York, will soon have the first combined wastewater energy transfer (WET) and geothermal system in the world, according to Vancouver, BC-based SHARC Energy, maker of the WET system.
The combined system will utilize thermal energy transfer from the ground and wastewater to provide 100 per cent of the heating, hot water and cooling load for 316 affordable housing units in the buildings. The buildings currently use steam heat from fossil fuels.
The project is a partnership between SHARC and St. Petersburg, FL-based Egg Geo and is part of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Empire Building Challenge.
The new system is forecast to reduce energy use in the buildings from the equivalent of 2,741 carbon tons to zero.
Click here to read more about the project.