This text is part of the special Energies section
QScale and Énergir Développement join forces to save the equivalent of the consumption of more than 15,000 homes.
We are talking more and more about the circular economy, that is, taking waste from companies and turning them into resources for others. But the dream rarely came true. This is in the process of becoming a reality at QScale, thanks to the collaboration of Énergir Développement.
Recovering enough heat to produce approximately 96 megawatts, or the equivalent of the consumption of more than 15,000 Quebec homes, which can be distributed by energy loops: this is the objective of QScale, a Quebec processing center company eco-responsible computing, with its Q01 campus located in Lévis in collaboration with Énergir, an energy distributor and producer.
“In a data center, very powerful computers must be cooled with water and this water is very recoverable and then used to heat a building”, says Vincent Thibault, executive vice president strategy and ESG at QScale .
Moreover, QScale recently announced that the first customer to come and settle in phase 1 of the Q01 campus is Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a multinational which has developed the fastest supercomputer in the world. It is expected that heat recovery could be operational there in 2024 if outlets are found in time. In other words, if businesses move into the outskirts to use that heat.
Strategic location
QScale did not choose this location in Lévis by chance to build its campus. It is close to several industrial enterprises and 100 hectares of agricultural land. Because if the company has a lot of warmth to give, it still has to find takers.
“We particularly target agri-food projects, such as greenhouses, aquaculture and the production of insect-based proteins, because this sector needs heat on a large scale, explains Vincent Thibault. In addition, these businesses make it possible to produce local food, thus reducing greenhouse gases related to the transport of goods. »
Énergir has already carried out the pre-feasibility studies and confirmed the techno-economic viability of the project, in addition to ensuring its implementation, from design to operation. Énergir also helps QScale find customers to consume the recovered heat.
“We want to help our customers decarbonize by using carbon neutral heat,” explains Jean-François Jaimes, executive director of development, renewable energy and LNG (liquefied natural gas) at Énergir.
Already, an unnamed customer has been targeted to move into the site and use heat recovered from HPE. “With the support of the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, we are carrying out a specific feasibility study for this client in order to evaluate the concept with preliminary engineering and costs. says Jaimes.
Énergir already has experience in the field of heating loops, since its district heating and air conditioning (CCU) sector has been operating the thermal power plant in Montreal for more than 60 years, which supplies more than a third of the city center.
“There is still a lot of potential to be developed in terms of heat recovery and our project with QScale is part of a broader approach, explains Jean-François Jaimes. We want to carry out several other projects of this kind. »
Other decarbonization initiatives at Énergir
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.