OPL-LAC Joint Facility Gets Greener. What else?

On Monday there was an announcement that the joint OPL-LAC facility to start construction in Ottawa this year will move from LEED Gold to net-zero carbon. The Federal Government is contributing an additional $20 million. The press release is here.

There is an accompanying backgrounder. Further information is in a document for the OPL Board Meeting of 9 February.

A connection to the federal government's heating and cooling district energy system (DES) is planned. That system presently uses fossil-fuels although conversion to net zero-carbon is planned. It is not clear how the OPL-LAC building will interact with the DES to remain carbon-neutral.

Another item in the backgrounder to "make the new facility a sustainable building" is "digitized tools and content at LAC to reduce the need for researchers to commute to Ottawa."  I have emailed LAC for further information.