Untapped thermal energy WORKING Group
The BUILT Cluster’s Untapped Thermal Energy Working Group collaborates on geothermal energy, wastewater energy transfer, and district energy projects for decarbonizing Washington’s built environment.
Members of this group include representatives from Sewer Energy Tapped, Geosyntec Consultants, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, McKinstry, Johnston Engineering, dJoule, UMC, Centrio Energy and Cascade Natural Gas. Resources informed by this working group may include –
- Policy recommendations to incentivize thermal energy projects.
- Strategies to successfully receive federal funding opportunities from the IRL and BIL.
- Industry best practices on how to collaborate with public and private sector interested parties in implementing thermal energy projects.
Interested? The Untapped Thermal Energy Working Group meets on the first Thursday of each month. Join us here.
Want a primer on Untapped Thermal Energy? Click here to learn more about the benefits and uses of Wastewater Energy Transfer (WET) by BUILT Cluster staffer Lindsay McCormick.
Harnessing the Untapped Potential of Wastewater Energy Transfer for Your Municipality
Check out the video below to learn from sewer authorities across North America – including Waste Heat working group participant, King County Wastewater Treatment Division – on how to transform your sewer infrastructure into a clean energy network of the future.
participants
Cascade Natural Gas Corporation serves more than 314,500 customers in 95 communities – 67 of which are in Washington and 28 in Oregon. Cascade’s service areas are concentrated in western and central Washington and central and eastern Oregon.
CenTrio is an industry leading sustainable energy provider, P3 partner, developer, investor, and operator of campus utility and district energy systems across North America. With the largest district energy portfolio in the U.S., CenTrio owns and operates critical utility infrastructures and provides comprehensive energy solutions to university campuses, healthcare systems, cities, and communities.
dJoule (pronounced “jewel’) sparks investment in ambitious district energy solutions for industry, institutions, corporations, and campuses that are economically and strategically motivated to decarbonize their core business. We are an energy holding, development, and advisory company with broad expertise in district energy, real estate, and construction. dJoule engages anchor customers and their communities to re-capitalize existing assets & decarbonize.
Geosyntec is a consulting and engineering firm that works with private and public sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure.
Johnston Engineering is the PNW region’s only product development engineering firm with true integrated engineering design, analysis, and fabrication. Our approach of integrated design and analysis ensures the quickest product development cycle with the least number of prototype iterations which saves our customers time and money. We design, fabricate, and deliver your product in a timely manner and at a competitive price.
King County Wastewater Treatment Division protects water quality and prevent water pollution by providing wastewater treatment to 17 cities and 17 local sewer utilities.
McKinstry is a national construction and energy services company dedicated to innovating the waste and climate harm out of the built environment. Through 60 years of collaborative partnerships and an outcomes-driven focus, we have perfected an unrivaled platform of integrated services that remove barriers in the way of achieving decarbonization.
Sewer Energy Tapped (SET) Consulting, founded by Jodi Guthrie, supports the expansion of WET (wastewater energy transfer) district networks, through the collaboration of Public and Private entities.
UMC solves the complex challenges of built environments and their systems. Originating over 100 years ago to serve the Pacific Northwest as a mechanical contractor, our firm has expanded to a vast range of comprehensive, integrated services, helping clients and partners plan, build, and manage their buildings, facilities or construction projects. As these programs present inherent technical and logistical complexity, we rise to the challenge of removing worry, delay, angst, and confusion, so you can get back to focusing on what you do best.
PROJECTS
Wastewater Energy Recovery in King County
(2022 – Present)
A collaboration between BUILT Cluster Waste Heat participants, SHARC Energy, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, and McKinstry, this project aims to expand the recovery of energy created by wastewater capture from commercial and residential buildings at Alexandria’s Mega Campus Initiative in King County. Read more here.
One objective of the project is to secure a state regulatory definition of waste heat to be included in the state’s definition of clean energy sources. This will allow SHARC and other similar companies to be eligible for Thermal Renewable Energy Credits (T-RECs) and other benefits that come with the state’s clean energy designation. Learn more about SHARC Energy and their proprietary technology here.
District Energy, Deep Lake Water Cooling, and Salmon Habitat Restoration in the Lake Washington Ship Canal
(2022 – Present)
In partnership with dJoule, this project seeks to assess the impact of integrating deep lake water cooling in a district energy system that can simultaneously be used to improve temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions in the Lake Washington Ship Canal (LWSC). The LWSC is a known thermal barrier that impacts the health and survival of juvenile and adult spawning salmon that pass through it during migration.
Our goal is to establish if shared infrastructure can be configured to reduce energy demand, decarbonize a district energy network, and measurably improve salmon habitat. For environmental fluid dynamics and deep lake water cooling engineering, our team is seeking the expert support of DSI, Inc. and Makai Ocean Engineering.
related news
SHARC Energy at the forefront of Alexandria’s sustainable mega campus initiative
SHARC Energy is pleased to provide an update to a previously disclosed project in the heart of Seattle. SHARC Energy is honored to have collaborated with King County, McKinstry and esteemed real estate firm Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (“ARE”) in unveiling a cutting-edge sewer heat recovery system, commonly referred to as a Wastewater Energy Transfer (“WET) system, at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in South Lake Union, Seattle.
This initiative clearly demonstrates the benefits of public-private partnerships based on King County’s progressive sustainable legislation.
New program will use heat from King County sewers to warm privately owned buildings
SEATTLE — The King County Wastewater Treatment Division is piloting a program that will pull heat from the sewer system and use it to heat privately-owned buildings.
It will work with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., and is looking for two additional property owners to take part.
“It’s actually one of the first in the nation where we’ve been able to have a public-private partnership to allow private property owners to connect into the public sewer infrastructure, to use the heat that’s traveling in those pipes underground,” Policy and Research Unit Supervisor Erika Kinno said.