The Place Versailles shopping center believes it is one of the few in Quebec to use a unique technique to get rid of the snow that falls on its huge parking lots: it “burns” it with natural gas.
The company praises the merits of the system, but its environmental impact is criticized at a time when Montreal wants to tackle gas consumption.
Place Versailles set up its foundry fifteen years ago. It consists of an “inground pool” heated by four gas turbines in a corner of the parking lot, explained Patrick Piché while showing the installation to The Press, last week. Mr. Piché is responsible for the physical facilities of the mall.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The founder, a kind of “in-ground swimming pool” heated by four gas turbines in a corner of the parking lot
When Mr. Piché’s team “burns” – that’s the established expression – a tractor pushes the piles of snow collected into the basin filled with water. In addition, the four turbines project hot water. “It’s like eating snow,” describes Mr. Piché. A real Jacuzzi for snowflakes, which do not last long. The system is directly connected to the municipal sewer. ” It works well. »
On very cold days, the volute of steam escaping from the melters is so opaque that 911 regularly receives calls from citizens convinced that they see a fire.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
On very cold days, the volute of steam escaping from the melters is so opaque that 9-1-1 regularly receives calls from citizens convinced that they see a fire.
“It allows us to eliminate the accumulation of snow on the ground and we don’t have to transport the snow elsewhere,” said Elizabeth Payne, general manager and boss of Mr. Piché. “There is never any snow on the site. It’s always clear. Place Versailles has approximately 4,000 parking spaces.
Energy cost
But this absence of snow has a cost, underlines Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montreal and holder of the Chair of management of the energy sector.
This is obviously one of the worst energy uses imaginable.
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montréal and holder of the Energy Sector Management Chair
“We would have to make the comparison with the energy cost of moving the snow by truck,” added the professor. The simple fact that it is economically possible to build concrete infrastructures to allow the use of individual vehicles and to melt snow with natural gas perfectly illustrates the lack of economic incentives to lead us to the energy transition. »
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Place Versailles has no intention of getting rid of its founder despite the natural gas bills of several thousand dollars.
On Thursday, the Plante administration welcomed the recommendations of a commission of elected municipal officials who want to see the installation of new gas appliances be banned in the short term in Montreal. They would also like to make it illegal to connect any new building to the natural gas network.
“With the scale of the climate crisis, it is no longer the time for half-measures”, reacted Marie-Andrée Mauger, elected in charge of the environment on the executive committee of Valérie Plante.
“It has to be clean »
Place Versailles, for its part, has no intention of parting with its founder despite the natural gas bills of several thousand dollars.
Moving snow to specialized sites would also have environmental impacts, Ms.me Payne.
“It takes 12-wheelers and 15-wheelers to transport the snow,” she noted.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The owner does not like the idea of blocking off a corner of the parking lot to pile up the snow.
Why not just block off a corner of the parking lot to pile the snow? “The owner here doesn’t like it. And he never liked it, explained Patrick Piché. It has to be clean. » A version confirmed by Mme Payne.
The latter added that even if she wanted to, it would not be an easy task. The height of snowflake mountains is regulated, as is how far they can be from a traffic lane or the property line, the mall’s general manager explained.
“We always test the water when we finish burning,” she explained. Anything dumped into the City’s system is clean. Each year, we send the results of all these analyzes to the City. »
The founders of Place Versailles might even make small ones. “There are cities that came to check how it was working,” said Patrick Piché.