Toronto: ZooShare and Oshawa PUC Energy Services have partnered to support the construction of Canada’s first zoo-based biogas plant.
ZooShare is a renewable energy cooperative with over 600 members and Oshawa PUC Energy Services (OPUCES), is a municipally-owned sustainable energy corporation.
The Toronto Zoo Biogas Project collaboration also includes the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund, which will contribute $2.7 million over this phase and a planned expansion of the facility, said a joint statement.
The contributions of ZooShare, OPUCES, the Toronto Zoo and the federal government will yield GHG reductions of about 20,000 tonnes of CO2e/ year and offset the equivalent of 1/3 of the zoo’s electricity demand.
“This first-of-its-kind project is symbolic of Canada’s newly emerging green economy, where structurally different organizations interplay in unique ways to generate sustainable bottom lines for all involved” says Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO at OPUCES. “Our team is proud to bring our expertise in low carbon, distributed energy forward to enable this remarkable initiative”.
This project also shows what is possible when waste is reframed as a valuable resource containing energy and nutrients that can be used to grow more food and continue the cycle. It is a prime example of the circular economy in action.
“This investment will enable the project to reach commercial operations next year and OPUCES’ expertise will enable it to outperform expectations in the years to come,” said Daniel Bida, Executive Director of ZooShare.
“The Toronto Zoo is committed to energy efficient operations, environmental sustainability, and renewable energy initiatives. From our perspective, the biogas facility is a fine example of community partnerships in action to develop renewable