Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Bury a network of geothermal wells in an alley. In other words: install a system of pipes several meters deep in the ground, where the temperature is constant all year round (8-10 ohC), with the aim of heating the dwellings in winter and cooling them in summer. And all that, between neighbours, collectively.
The idea immediately piqued the curiosity of engineer Gérard Lombard, a resident of the Ruelle Saint-Marc, in the Rosemont district.
It was in the spring of 2015. Gérard Lombard therefore went to an information meeting organized by a committee of citizens from the La Petite-Patrie district (the non-profit organization Solon). They were looking for green alleys whose residents would like to embark on a geothermal project.
The advantage of geothermal energy? It reduces greenhouse gas emissions (especially if it replaces a gas or fuel oil system) and reduces electricity consumption, especially during peak periods. Geothermal energy can also contribute to reducing heat islands in the summer, because the heat from dwellings is returned to the ground and not to the air.
An evolving project
Seven years after this first information meeting, despite the constant evolution of the project and the regulatory obstacles, Gérard Lombard is still committed to this shared geothermal project, called the Celsius project. And seven years later, the 64-year-old is still talking about it with stars in his eyes.
“Do you want to see where the first wells were dug? asks Gérard Lombard, before guiding us to the end of the Ruelle Saint-Marc, right next to the primary school of the same name.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
From the outside of the duplex being renovated, the geothermal wells are not visible.
In the backyard of the duplex, drilling work was carried out last year, but nothing seems to be there: everything is buried in the ground. The underground wells make it possible to heat (in part) and to air-condition the two dwellings of the duplex and the five of the adjacent quintuplex. Both tenants and owners benefit. “The notion of fairness is important to us”, specifies Gérard Lombard, who has lived in the Ruelle Saint-Marc since 1989.
At the beginning of the adventure, the pilot project that the citizens’ committee had in mind was to look like this: build a single geothermal network in each of the three founding streets (all in Rosemont) to serve a total of 50 dwellings. However, the technical study determined that it was more technically and financially advantageous to build several microgrids, each supplying 3 to 10 homes.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Each of the two buildings houses a heat pump in the basement.
Touching an alley isn’t easy either.
The alley is the public domain. If we are given a permit to occupy the public domain, we have learned that it can be revoked at any time.
Gérard Lombard, resident of Rosemont involved in the Celsius project
Never mind, the small group (now reunited in the Celsius solidarity cooperative) persevered, starting with a more modest project, the one at the end of the Ruelle Saint-Marc. The $135,000 project was largely funded by a provincial program. Owners who benefit from it donate the money they save on heating to the cooperative.
One of the solutions
The Celsius coop hopes that the construction of the wells of the “real” pilot project will begin in the spring of 2023, but there is still work to be done. It surrounded itself with partners within the municipal administration and researchers from the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) to assess the technical, financial and social aspects of the project.
“We don’t want it to become opportunities for renewal,” sums up Gérard Lombard. The pilot project could also extend to less favored neighborhoods than Rosemont, such as Saint-Michel and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Building a geothermal network in an alley is also an opportunity to green concrete spaces. In short, to improve the quality of life.
Is it possible, therefore, that your duplex is not part of the pilot project? “It may be”, agrees Gérard Lombard.
Yes, he hopes that his building can one day be cooled by geothermal energy, but if he gets involved, he says, it is first and foremost as a citizen. “What concerns me is above all what is coming in terms of climate. I think there is urgency. A project like this won’t solve everything, of course, but it’s part of the solution. »