10 San Romanoway

At a Glance
System Configuration: 4 × c65 Dual-Mode Capstone Microturbines and controller
Annual Generation: > 2 Million kWh/year (~60% of building baseload)
Thermal Integration: 1.72 MMBtu/hr of hot water
Compliance & Backup: CSA C282-compliant for emergency life-safety loads


The Challenge
Managing a 35-story residential asset requires predictable operating expenses and absolute power reliability. Relying solely on the local utility exposed the property to rising electricity tariffs and fuel price risk, while a standard standby generator represented idle, non-revenue-generating capital. CAPREIT needed a solution that could simultaneously reduce daily utility expenditures, hedge against grid price volatility, and deliver seamless backup power for critical life-safety systems.


The Solution
Veristar Energy installed a fully autonomous, microturbine-based Combined Heat & Power system featuring four dual-mode C65 units.
• Onsite Generation: Operates continuously to produce clean electricity right where it’s consumed, taking control of energy supply out of the utility's hands.
• Thermal Heat Recovery: Captures high-grade exhaust heat during generation to feed the building’s domestic hot water and space heating loops, directly displacing natural gas fuel required by primary boilers.
• Seamless Grid Independence: In the event of a grid outage, the dual-mode system instantly isolates from the utility and supplies continuous electricity to emergency life-safety loads, including elevators, fire pumps, and emergency lighting.
• Code Compliance: Designed and engineered to meet Canada’s strict CSA C282 emergency power standard, replacing traditional backup diesel gensets with a continuous, revenue-generating asset.


The Results
• Predictable Financial ROI: Generates over 2 million kWh annually, shielding the property from peak utility demand charges and rate spikes.
• Reduced Maintenance Overhead: Unlike traditional reciprocating engines, each microturbine features an air-bearing design with only one moving part, significantly lowering long-term O&M costs.
• Uncompromising Reliability: The multi-engine system allows individual units to be serviced without taking the entire system offline, delivering near 100% operational uptime.
• Capital Efficiency: Transforms a passive emergency backup requirement into an active, cost-saving operational asset.