[news 2007-2008]

Queen’s-developed solar technology chosen for Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and Green Phoenix housing project

For immediate release

August 24, 2007

KINGSTON/LONDON, ON -- Patented solar thermal technology developed at Queen’s University in partnership with EnerWorks, Inc. of London, Ont. has been selected for installation at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and Phoenix Place, a 136-unit affordable apartment building in the Green Phoenix housing complex in west Toronto.

The EnerWorks system, which enables users to harness the energy of the sun to supplement hot-water heating requirements, also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The two projects expect to reduce their operational costs and overall energy consumption while reducing their combined greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100 metric tons per year.

The Hospital for Sick Children project will include the installation of 92 solar collectors and ancillary equipment. The installation is scheduled for September. The Phoenix Place project will incorporate the EnerWorks system, including 40 solar collectors, with existing geothermal technology, providing hot water and space heating in each apartment unit. The installation will take place in mid-October.

The Phoenix Place installation is believed to be a first of sorts for the EnerWorks system, says Graham Smith, Vice-President and General Manager of Commercial and Industrial Projects. “To the best of our knowledge this will be the first wall-hanging canopy solar thermal installation in North America,” he says. The collectors will be mounted on a south-facing wall and sloped at a 45-degree angle, maximizing energy collection.

The EnerWorks solar water heating system was developed jointly by EnerWorks Inc. with Dr. Stephen Harrison, a solar energy researcher of Queen’s University at Kingston, ON, whose innovations in solar panel and heat exchanger design have been rewarded with six patents, with additional patents pending.

The technology is licensed to EnerWorks by PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer office of Queen’s University.

“More and more consumers are looking for real and affordable solutions to reducing their carbon footprint. The EnerWorks system enables them to reduce their overall energy consumption while making substantial savings in energy costs,” says John Molloy, President and CEO of PARTEQ. “It is rewarding to see this university-generated research making a positive impact on Canadians’ lives.”

The solar water heating system has already been installed in homes across North America. The first commercial user of the system, the Howard Johnson Confederation Place Hotel in Kingston, ON, estimates that it has saved more than $10,000 in hot water heating costs in just over a year.

Last year EnerWorks became the first manufacturer in the solar thermal industry in North America to receive the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) stamp of approval for its products. The system also received the U.S. Solar Rating and Certification Corporation’s SRCC OG-100 certification, having achieved the highest per-unit area energy rating compared to all other certified technologies.

Contact:
John Molloy, President & CEO
PARTEQ Innovations
P: 613. 533. 2342
F: 613. 533. 6853
E: jmolloy@parteqinnovations.com

Ken Arnold, CEO
EnerWorks, Inc.
P: 519. 268. 6500
F: 519.268.6292
E: karnold@enerworks.com
www.enerworks.com

About EnerWorks Inc.:
EnerWorks is North America’s leading provider of solar thermal water heating systems for residential and commercial applications. The EnerWorks technology and design philosophy focuses on outstanding performance, manufacturability, ease of installation and reliability.
www.enerworks.com

About PARTEQ Innovations:
PARTEQ Innovations is the not-for-profit technology transfer arm of Queen’s University. PARTEQ works with Queen’s researchers and the business and venture capital communities to bring early stage technologies to market. Since 1987 PARTEQ has been instrumental in the establishment of nearly 40 companies developing a variety of products, from potential drugs for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease to automated bacteria detection for water systems, solar-powered appliances, and advanced materials used in the plastics, automotive, aerospace and household appliance industries.
www.parteqinnovations.com