Enwave Energy Corporation. Enwave took home the Joseph M. Brillhart Innovation Award for its efforts to help decarbonize the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. This award represents the best in public and private collaboration, where members share emerging best practices, new technologies and techniques, and the tremendous value of collaboration within the industry.
In February 2022, Enwave (the district energy system owner/operator) and Continual (the design builder) were contracted to develop a new heating and cooling platform for the nearly 100-year-old Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The team collaborated to create a solution that leverages year-round waste heat from Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) network and Ontario’s clean electricity grid, and replaces an existing on-site chiller plant with a new DLWC plant and an advanced oil-free modular heat pump system. This new system uses return chilled water, converting it into two grades of heat for space heating and domestic hot water. The hotel has now significantly reduced its steam consumption, which avoids more than 7000 tonnes CO2e/year (the equivalent to removing 1,558 cars from the road). This innovative district heat pump solution has also allowed the historic hotel to receive the prestigious Zero Carbon Building – Performance standard, which is a significant feat for a building of this vintage.
“By repurposing waste heat from cooling customers in the district, we have unlocked a sustainable solution that defies convention,” said Carson Gemmill, Vice President, Solutions & Innovations at Enwave Energy Corporation. “Our approach tackles the pressing issue of carbon emissions and underscores our commitment to being a catalyst for positive change. In essence, this district heat recovery solution represents the next frontier in urban sustainability.”
This is the first year the award was given out as the Joseph M. Brillhart Innovation Award, named after the beloved former IDEA Board Chair and Executive Committee Member who launched the award 10 years ago. Brillhart passed away in 2023 and the IDEA Board unanimously voted to name the award after him.
Empower Energy Solutions and Ecosystem Energy both received Honorable mentions for the Joseph M. Brillhart Innovation Award, with two Honorable Mentions going to Empower and one to Ecosystem.