The University of British Columbia's (UBC) Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility (BRDF) has been honoured with an Infrastructure 100 Award from KPMG International. This award identifies outstanding efforts in urban infrastructure in cities around the world. This announcement brings infrastructure to the attention of those outside of industry, as well as shares leading edge developments with those in industry.
The BRDF is a biomass fuelled heat and power research project. A collaboration between UBC, Vancouver-based Nexterra Systems and GE Energy/Jenbacher Ltd., the gasification system aims to generate enough clean electricity to power 1,500 homes and reduce UBC's natural gas consumption by up to 12 per cent. The BRDF is designed and constructed using cross-laminate timber panels, a renewable alternative to steel/concrete construction.
The BRDF is part of UBC’s Campus as a Living Laboratory initiative bringing together UBC operations, researchers, students and residents with industry, government and NGO partners to co-develop and demonstrate innovative solutions and products for the future.
This honour is shared with other global projects featured in the forthcoming Infrastructure 100: World Class Edition including: the Brixton Solar One project, Exelon City Solar, Chennai Solar Economic Zone, Durban Waste to Energy, Empresas Transoceanica, the Cidade Inteligente Búzios project, Jeju Smart Grid Test Bed, the Hyllie District Smart Grid and the Princess Noura Bint AbdulRahman University Solar Heating System.
The Award recipients were selected by a panel of expert judges. Infrastructure 100: World Class Edition is planned for release in July 2012 at the World Cities Summit in Singapore.
The Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility will officially open mid-September 2012.