About the Accelerator
Canada is well positioned to advance Thermal Energy Networks (TENs). Communities across the country are exploring district energy, waste heat recovery, geo-exchange, and heat pump-based systems as part of broader efforts to reduce emissions, improve energy resilience, and manage growing electricity demand.
At the same time, significant progress has been made in developing the research, policy frameworks, and implementation tools needed to support deployment. Yet despite this momentum, relatively few projects are advancing toward implementation at the pace or scale required to meet Canada’s climate and energy objectives. Many communities continue to face practical barriers, including limited capacity, fragmented stakeholder coordination, uncertainty around financing and regulation, and insufficient implementation support, preventing promising projects from moving forward.
QUEST Canada, with the support of the Building Decarbonization Alliance, is launching the TENs Project Accelerator—a national, multi-phase initiative designed to address this gap by helping communities translate readiness and interest into implementable projects.
The initiative convenes communities and implementation-focused partner organizations, with participation centred on project leads advancing community-scale energy projects.
The TENs Project Accelerator Model
PILLAR 1
Anchor Event: Project Initiation Workshop (In-Person)
PILLAR 2
Virtual Coaching, Learning & Capacity Scaling
PILLAR 3
Tools, Resource Integration & Interactive Community Platform
PILLAR 4
Storytelling & Knowledge Mobilization
Targeted Outcomes
Advancing Projects Toward Implementation
- Advancement of 6–10 community-led energy projects toward feasibility, financing, and implementation
- Practical application of Building Decarbonization Alliance’s Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) tools within real project contexts
- Development of actionable implementation pathways for district energy, waste heat recovery, and community-scale thermal energy systems
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and communities, supporting Canada’s broader energy transition goals
Building Community Capacity and Leadership
- Increased technical, financial, and policy capacity within municipalities and Indigenous communities to develop and advance TENs projects
- Strengthened community expertise and leadership, enabling municipalities and Indigenous communities to lead future energy projects independently
- Advancement of Indigenous and community energy sovereignty through increased local participation, decision-making, and control over energy systems
Unlocking Investment and Economic Development
- Increased investment in local energy infrastructure, including district energy systems and TENs
- Job creation and local economic development opportunities in construction, engineering, clean energy, and energy services
- Improved energy affordability and long-term cost stability through reduced exposure to volatile oil and gas markets
Strengthening Collaboration and Systems Alignment
- Enhanced collaboration between communities, utilities, developers, funders, investors, technical experts, and policymakers
- Improved alignment across stakeholders and rights holders to help unlock systemic regulatory, financial, and market barriers limiting TENs deployment
Scaling Impact and National Replication
- Replication and scaling of successful implementation models across regions through shared learning and knowledge mobilization
- Increased awareness and adoption of TENs and integrated energy solutions across Canada
- More resilient, coordinated, and future-ready community energy systems capable of adapting to changing energy needs and climate impacts
- Broader national knowledge sharing and storytelling that supports long-term sector growth and implementation capacity
How to Get Involved
For Communities: Advance Your Energy Project
Are you working on a concept or plan to initiate a TENs project in your community? The Accelerator provides a structured, collaborative ecosystem to advance your project toward technical feasibility and financial investability.
What Selected Communities Receive:
- The opportunity to participate in the Accelerator’s anchor event, the TENs Project Initiation Workshop. Participate in an intensive, in-person collaborative sprint this September in Hamilton, Ontario, to map your project’s immediate implementation pathway.
- Gain access to virtual coaching, learning and capacity scaling supports.Through interactive peer learning, this ongoing support establishes a self-sustaining network and a shared knowledge base to help your community advance projects from concept to execution.
- Access a dedicated online platform to collaborate with technical experts, funders, and peer communities in real time. This centralized hub embeds the Building Decarbonization Alliance’s (BDA) specialized TENs resources and toolkits directly into your long-term project development.
- Amplify your project’s success and lessons learned on a national stage through QUEST Canada’s Powered by Communities media platform. Your community’s initiative will be featured in national storytelling and articles, driving broader sector impact and inspiring replication across the country.
For Accelerator Funders: Drive Canadian TENs Advancement
One of the primary constraints on the growth of Canada’s Thermal Energy Network sector isn’t technology—it is the extended timeline and high soft costs required to bring community concepts to an investment-ready, low-risk deployment baseline.
By backing the Accelerator, your organization directly supports a practical, systematic mechanism designed to scale Canada’s pipeline of viable thermal networks.
The Return on Your Partnership:
- High-Impact Collaboration: Connect directly with a cohort of highly motivated community project leads who have been vetted for organizational readiness and a demonstrated local commitment to advance.
- Collaborative Design Tables: Sit alongside community decision-makers, utilities, and operators in a structured, non-adversarial working environment.
- National Sector Authority: Amplify your impact through national storytelling campaigns on QUEST Canada’s Powered by Communities platform and align your brand with BDA’s 350+ ecosystem partners.
About the Building Decarbonization Alliance
The Building Decarbonization Alliance is a 350+ member cross-sector coalition driving Canada’s shift to smart electrification through industry leadership and market transformation, including the development of leading research and tools to unlock Thermal Energy Networks across the country.
Ready to accelerate Canada’s thermal energy transition?
Whether you’re bringing a community project to the table or looking to deploy catalytic funding into the sector, let’s advance thermal energy networks together.
