Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik
Energy transition is a challenge for remote northern communities mainly relying on diesel for electricity generation and space heating. Solar-assisted ground-coupled heat pump (SAGCHP) systems represent an alternative that was investigated in this study for the Kuujjuaq Forum, a multi-activity facil...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Alice Cavalerie Jasmin Raymond Louis Gosselin Jean Rouleau Ali Hakkaki-Fard |
| author_facet | Alice Cavalerie Jasmin Raymond Louis Gosselin Jean Rouleau Ali Hakkaki-Fard |
| author_sort | Alice Cavalerie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Energy transition is a challenge for remote northern communities mainly relying on diesel for electricity generation and space heating. Solar-assisted ground-coupled heat pump (SAGCHP) systems represent an alternative that was investigated in this study for the Kuujjuaq Forum, a multi-activity facility in Nunavik, Canada. The energy requirements of community buildings facing a subarctic climate are poorly known. Based on energy bills, technical documents, and site visits, this study provided an opportunity to better document the energy consumption of such building, especially considering the recent solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed on part of the roof. A comprehensive model was developed to analyze the building’s heating demand and simulate the performance of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) coupled with PV panels. The air preheating load, accounting for 268,200 kWh and 47% of the total heating demand, was identified as an interesting and realistic load that could be met by SAGCHP. The GSHP system would require a total length of at least 8000 m, with boreholes at depths between 170 and 200 m to meet this demand. Additional PV panels covering the entire roof could supply 30% of the heat pump’s annual energy demand on average, with seasonal variations from 22% in winter to 53% in spring. Economic and environmental analysis suggest potential annual savings of CAD 164,960 and 176.7 tCO<sub>2</sub>eq emissions reduction, including benefits from exporting solar energy surplus to the local grid. This study provides valuable insights on non-residential building energy consumption in subarctic conditions and demonstrates the technical viability of SAGCHP systems for large-scale applications in remote communities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-21f856960ee9448fa032a4295dac282f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-7264 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Thermo |
| spelling | doaj-art-21f856960ee9448fa032a4295dac282f2025-08-20T03:29:39ZengMDPI AGThermo2673-72642025-04-01521410.3390/thermo5020014Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, NunavikAlice Cavalerie0Jasmin Raymond1Louis Gosselin2Jean Rouleau3Ali Hakkaki-Fard4Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, CanadaCentre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaEnergy transition is a challenge for remote northern communities mainly relying on diesel for electricity generation and space heating. Solar-assisted ground-coupled heat pump (SAGCHP) systems represent an alternative that was investigated in this study for the Kuujjuaq Forum, a multi-activity facility in Nunavik, Canada. The energy requirements of community buildings facing a subarctic climate are poorly known. Based on energy bills, technical documents, and site visits, this study provided an opportunity to better document the energy consumption of such building, especially considering the recent solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed on part of the roof. A comprehensive model was developed to analyze the building’s heating demand and simulate the performance of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) coupled with PV panels. The air preheating load, accounting for 268,200 kWh and 47% of the total heating demand, was identified as an interesting and realistic load that could be met by SAGCHP. The GSHP system would require a total length of at least 8000 m, with boreholes at depths between 170 and 200 m to meet this demand. Additional PV panels covering the entire roof could supply 30% of the heat pump’s annual energy demand on average, with seasonal variations from 22% in winter to 53% in spring. Economic and environmental analysis suggest potential annual savings of CAD 164,960 and 176.7 tCO<sub>2</sub>eq emissions reduction, including benefits from exporting solar energy surplus to the local grid. This study provides valuable insights on non-residential building energy consumption in subarctic conditions and demonstrates the technical viability of SAGCHP systems for large-scale applications in remote communities.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7264/5/2/14subarcticspace heatingrenewable energygeothermalborehole heat exchanger (BHE)photovoltaic |
| spellingShingle | Alice Cavalerie Jasmin Raymond Louis Gosselin Jean Rouleau Ali Hakkaki-Fard Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik Thermo subarctic space heating renewable energy geothermal borehole heat exchanger (BHE) photovoltaic |
| title | Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik |
| title_full | Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik |
| title_short | Sustainable Heating Analysis and Energy Model Development of a Community Building in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik |
| title_sort | sustainable heating analysis and energy model development of a community building in kuujjuaq nunavik |
| topic | subarctic space heating renewable energy geothermal borehole heat exchanger (BHE) photovoltaic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7264/5/2/14 |
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