Reinventing Cloth Masks in the Face of Pandemics
Working as volunteers in 2020, we developed a simple way to use inexpensive and widely-available materials to make effective face masks for the public. The mask design was tested by three facilities in Canada and the USA, and was found to have a filtering effectiveness against aerosol particles of 76% to 90%. We estimated that if this kind of mask were given to the public, the cost would be approximately 0.2% of the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic to Canada in 2020. We also tested eleven face masks of the kind Canadians commonly wore during the...
read moreGovernment of Canada, Energy Services Acquisition Program
As a member of the Sustainability Solutions Group team in 2019-2020, Farallon evaluated options for various configurations of district energy systems, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Federal buildings in Ottawa. Farallon estimated the greenhouse gas emissions from burning natural gas in current operations, and the emissions that would be associated with Renewable Natural Gas, biodiesel, and with diverting residual biomass away from open burning and landfilling and for use as a biofuel. Farallon estimated the capital...
read moreLegislative Precinct District Energy System
In 2018 and 2019, the British Columbia Ministry of Citizens Services asked for input to its planning process for replacing the central heating plant that supplies heating and cooling to the BC Legislature and other government buildings in Victoria, British Columbia. Specifically, the Province was interested in options that would minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and would also be cost-effective and reliable. As a sub-consultant to Avalon Mechanical Consultants, Farallon worked with Avalon to: Propose environmental, social, and financial...
read moreRenewable Energy in Vancouver
Cypress Village Development, Vancouver, British Columbia. As a member of the Sustainability Solutions Group team in 2018-19, Farallon completed three feasibility studies on behalf of British Pacific Properties for their planned Cypress Village development in Vancouver. The studies evaluated the costs and benefits of on-site electricity generation from micro-hydro and solar-PV, including battery storage, and also the feasibility of providing heat to buildings in the village from biomass and from ground-source heat pumps. The studies involved...
read moreClean Energy in Western Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Western Regional Enterprise Network, 2020. The goal of this project was to provide input to an Energy Investment Plan which is being developed by the Nova Scotia Western Regional Enterprise Network. The Plan is intended to stimulate employment in an area of Nova Scotia which is constrained for growth by the limited capacity its electrical transmission and distribution systems. Farallon investigated ways of producing Renewable Natural Gas and biodiesel from waste streams in the area, the costs and benefits of cellulosic insulation,...
read moreDistrict Energy in Chile
United Nations Environment Program. In 2017 Stephen completed a “Rapid Assessment” to find ways to reduce air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning firewood to heat buildings in Chile. The assessments included the City of Temuco and the Santiago suburb of Renca. The work was part of United Nations Environment’s District Energy in Cities Initiative, and was completed under contract to the Sustainability Solutions Group. In the community of Temuco, the challenge is that 93% of the air pollution comes from burning...
read moreThe Time Value of Carbon
The Time Value of Carbon. Stephen was the lead author of the report The Time Value of Carbon: Smart Strategies to Accelerate Emission Reductions, which was published by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada in 2017. The report describes the strong effects on climate change of Near-term Climate Forcers such as methane and HFCs, and explains how current greenhouse gas accounting and reporting methods underestimate these effects. For example, the current greenhouse gas reporting practice is to account for the effects on climate of all...
read moreIntegrated Resource Recovery Analysis
Integrated Resource Recovery Analysis. In 2016, Stephen completed an Integrated Resource Recovery Analysis under contract to the Sustainability Solutions Group, to find opportunities to recover resources from waste in the Region of Waterloo. The Analysis compared options for the 100,000 tonnes per year of organic waste available in the region, and uncovered the following hybrid resource recovery concept: Organic waste could be diverted to a “Regional Bioenergy Centre”, where it would be processed in an anaerobic digester to produce biomethane...
read moreResources from Waste
Province of British Columbia, 2014. Resources from Waste Policy Analysis. In collaboration with the Sustainability Solutions Group, Stephen completed an analysis of options for recovering energy and other resources from solid waste. The clients for the study were the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development, and the analysis was completed in three parts. The first part of the analysis addressed the question: How can we compare the environmental, economic, and social...
read moreProject – Plan4DE
District energy is thousands of years old, and common in Europe. Given its many benefits, including greenhouse gas reductions, how can we foster its use elsewhere? Between 2014 and 2016 Farallon was part of a team that developed the Plan4DE, a modelling tool to accelerate district energy. Plan4DE is an interactive model, a kind of flight simulator for district energy planning. The model keeps the technical analysis in the background, and shows planners, modelers and decision-makers how they can optimize the design of a community for district...
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