In Alberta, they're excited about a natural gas development out east. In Saskatchewan, they're more concerned about our pioneering use of human waste. Full links below.
Heating, part one
from Edmonton and Calgary
In a cliche move that confirms they only think about one thing out west, Oilweek and the Calgary Sun both jumped on a Canadian Press story about "a major coal-bed methane gas reserve in northwestern Nova Scotia." Apparently Nova Scotia energy minister Bill Dooks was talking about the fossil fuel deposit.
"The potential scope of this project is very large," the minister told the Halifax Chamber of Commerce yesterday.Heating, part two"Stealth puts the figure at over one-trillion cubic feet." (full story here and here)
from Saskatoon
While browsing the Star Phoenix online I came across a tantalizing headline: "Human waste used to heat apartment." Picturing a really smelly one-bedroom, I had to read the story, and was surprised to discover the apartment in question is in Halifax. Actually, it's a whole apartment building, and it does sound pretty clever. That's Halifax for you: Smart sewage, smart city.
James Bardsley said that energy providers working on the new building started with the concept that sewage isn't useless material — it's a valuable resource.Heating part three could be your discovery. Send links here."This'll be the first building in North American to reclaim heat out of the sewage," he said, standing near a noisy room containing the structure's geothermal heating and cooling system.
Bardsley said human waste -- he called it "black water" -- from the four-storey building is pumped into a holding tank for six hours before it's released into the city's sewer system. (full story here)
