Toronto Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

rdaner said:
I read it in the McCleary District Document released by WT a few months ago. First time that I had heard about it but good news as the inside is one large space surrounded by huge windows!
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Though I can see it might be good to re-use this building, the note in the DRP March document is not quite so definitive about closure. https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/sit...trict-Precinct-Plan-Issues-Identification.pdf says

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hawc said:
1970s Hearn Power Station running at full power is best generating station! They need to start it up again. And finish the Spadina Expressway.

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Nature must be conquered!

😁
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I’ve seen that photo! Wow, imagine breathing that…
How about we also build the massive proposed smokestack at Pearl Street Energy Centre from the 1960s?
Yup, that’s right. They wanted to build a smokestack DOWNTOWN almost as TALL as the TD Centre.

Original Toronto Star caption: Soaring Smokestack superimposed here shows how the proposed 700-foot chimney Toronto Hydro wants to build at a cost of $1;000;000 at its Pearl St. steam generating plant would compare with Toronto's tallest building-Toronto-Dominion Tower. It is only 40 feet shorter.

Luckily that was not built. Instead, there is a shorter stack currently standing there. It’s a 4 megawatt plant, which is mostly used for heating downtown office buildings.

This is how it would have looked like. Credit, TPL Digital Archive (Toronto Star Archives)

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DSC said:
Though I can see it might be good to re-use this building, the note in the DRP March document is not quite so definitive about closure. https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/sit...trict-Precinct-Plan-Issues-Identification.pdf says

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Yes. As always a work in progress but there is further discussion deep in the volumous documents that mention the attributes of the structure for conversion. No mention of replacement plans for waste management so probably aspirational. This has been done before with the Incinerator in the West End.
 
rdaner said:
Yes. As always a work in progress but there is further discussion deep in the volumous documents that mention the attributes of the structure for conversion. No mention of replacement plans for waste management so probably aspirational. This has been done before with the Incinerator in the West End.
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Of course it COULD be done (and maybe SHOULD be done) but your post stated "...This building is being decommissioned in 2 years..." This is clearly NOT happening in 2026.
 
Bibi L said:
How about we also build the massive proposed smokestack at Pearl Street Energy Centre from the 1960s? Yup, that’s right. They wanted to build a smokestack DOWNTOWN almost as TALL as the TD Centre.
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A tall enough smokestack solves any pollution problem. Just got to get it into the troposphere and the wind carries it away! ;)
 
hawc said:
Wow the old colours on the top of the smokestack are some serious nightmare fuel. Feels evil.

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Yeah, that’s what I was referring to here,
Bibi L said:
The top of the smokestack was originally black with red in the middle, instead of the all white now.
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Photo is from City of Toronto. “An Infectious Idea: Environmental Health”.
 
Lots of interesting history shared here this weekend.

Another fun fact: the new Portlands Energy Centre does not have any energy storage. When all turbines are off, power from the grid is needed to start up. Adding storage to the facility was a project under consideration but some complications add expenses. I’m unsure if it’s on the back burner or completely cancelled.
 
Dumb question....

My stove burns natural gas inside. It doesn't pollute the house. So why would Portlands Energy Centre which runs on natural gas be a polluter?

(And if you're going to say, "Actually your stove is polluting your house you just don't realize it...." You're missing my point. I mean it's not polluting my house the way running my car in my kitchen would kill me in minutes or the way a coal fire in the kitchen with no chimney would suffocated everyone.)
 
Natural gas has just over half the amount of CO2 content as coal per unit of energy produced - it is not pollution / greenhouse gas free. The amount of CO2 produced by a gas stove is minimal, due to the small amount of natural gas being used.

From the United States Energy Information Administration table at: https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients by Fuel
Pounds CO2Kilograms CO2Pounds CO2Kilograms CO2
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Factors:Per Unit of Volume or MassPer Unit of Volume or MassPer Million BtuPer Million Btu
For homes and businesses
Propane12.68 gallon5.75 gallon138.6362.88
Diesel and Home Heating Fuel (Distillate Fuel Oil)22.45 gallon10.19 gallon163.4574.14
Kerosene21.78 gallon9.88 gallon161.3573.19
Coal (All types)3,890.78 short ton1,764.83 short ton211.4795.92
Natural Gas120.96 thousand cubic feet54.87 thousand cubic feet116.6552.91
 
hawc said:
My stove burns natural gas inside. It doesn't pollute the house.
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Unrelated to the Portlands issues, natural gas stoves produce more in-home pollution than you might expect, even when they're not in use.

www.health.harvard.edu

Have a gas stove? How to reduce pollution that may harm health - Harvard Health

Cooking with gas stoves releases nitrogen dioxide and gas appliances introduce other toxic chemicals into homes, but people can take steps to protect their household and help improve outdoor...
www.health.harvard.edu www.health.harvard.edu


An exhaust that was built below the burner surface and always on could fix this.
 
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hawc said:
Dumb question....

My stove burns natural gas inside. It doesn't pollute the house. So why would Portlands Energy Centre which runs on natural gas be a polluter?

(And if you're going to say, "Actually your stove is polluting your house you just don't realize it...." You're missing my point. I mean it's not polluting my house the way running my car in my kitchen would kill me in minutes or the way a coal fire in the kitchen with no chimney would suffocated everyone.)
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Natural gas combustion doesn't produce as much carbon monoxide (CO) as does burning (e.g.) coal. A quick search shows that gas stoves do produce some CO. The bigger issues are nitrogen dioxide and fine particulates. Gas stoves should always be operated with a running externally vented exhaust hood.

CO is so dangerous as it binds irreversibly to hemoglobin in your red blood cells so your blood can't carry oxygen.
 
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