SUMMARY

Dual energy would reduce natural gas consumption by 70%. [Image: Hydro-Quebec]

By Dale Lunan

A pair of utilities in the Canadian province of Quebec, natural gas distributor Energir and electric utility Hydro-Quebec, said February 17 they would launch three pilot deployments of dual energy heating systems.

The two announced a dual energy pact last summer; now, they intend to launch pilot programmes at the Aquarium of Quebec in Quebec City, a convention centre in the town of Contrecoeur and an elementary school in Lachine.

The pilot projects will test different combinations of technology to balance electricity and natural gas for space heating. The results of the pilots will inform a service offering to commercial and institutional customers in the coming months, subject to approvals from the Regie de l’energie, Quebec’s energy regulator.

The dual energy systems will use electricity to provide space heating most of the time, drawing on natural gas only in very cold weather. Natural gas consumption, Hydro-Quebec said, would be reduced by about 70%, reducing the environmental impact of heating residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

Two pilots are also underway in the residential market aimed at optimising the experience for customers who choose dual energy over natural gas. A service offering for residential consumers will likely be launched later this year, again pending approval from the Regie.

“The launch of the pilot projects marks a concrete step toward the implementation of the dual energy electricity-natural gas solution – one we look forward to offering our customers in order to support them in their decarbonisation efforts,” said Valerie Sapin, Energir’s director of marketing and innovation. “It constitutes a cornerstone of our vision for the future to ultimately reduce the natural gas consumption of buildings and remain present where and when there is value.”

The dual energy commitment is also central to Energir’s net zero ambitions, outlined in its second Climate Resiliency Report, also released by the utility on February 17.

Since the release of its first resiliency report in 2021, Energir has refined the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions it expects to make by 2050. The new report shows the utility remains on a trajectory for it to fully decarbonise the energy it distributes by 2050.

“Energir is undergoing a profound transformation in order to evolve from an energy distributor to a diversified energy company and a partner of choice in the fight against climate change,” Energir CEO Eric Lachance said. “Quebec’s consumption of natural gas from fossil sources will decrease in the future in favour of renewable energy. That is a fact, and we are aiming to accelerate this trend.”