Alafia

New York / NYSERDA's Vision

The Alafia Project is part of New York State’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative, a $1.4 billion plan designed to address chronic social, economic, and health disparities in Brooklyn’s underserved communities.

Recognizing the need for sustainable, inclusive urban development, New York sought to create a model community that prioritizes affordable housing, health, and environmental resilience.

Through NYSERDA’s support and clean energy-focused programs, the state aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, conserve fresh water, and lower greenhouse gas emissions—all while fostering a healthier, more equitable community.

Located on a 27-acre site, Alafia will ultimately include 2,400 affordable housing units, a healthcare center, retail spaces, and recreational areas designed to enhance community well-being.

The project broke ground in late 2022, with its first phase featuring 576 units expected to be complete by 2025. By adopting Passive House standards and sustainable technologies, Alafia is on track to serve as a national example of resilient, clean-energy urban development.

888 Fountain Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Highlights:

Alafia aims to set new benchmarks for energy efficiency and carbon reduction in urban developments:

Reduced Energy Costs: By recapturing heat from wastewater, Alafia will save on energy costs, making housing more affordable and sustainable.
Carbon Footprint Reduction: Leveraging wastewater heat recovery, the project significantly lowers emissions, supporting New York’s ambitious decarbonization goals.
Water Conservation: The technology offsets the need for traditional cooling towers, preserving fresh water—a critical asset in dense urban areas.

What's installed at Alafia?

1x SHARC 660 Series

Buildings C1 & C2

The SHARC 660 Series system is a high-capacity wastewater energy transfer system specifically designed for large-scale applications.

In Alafia, the SHARC 660 will serve two of the project’s largest residential buildings, harnessing the thermal energy within wastewater to supply essential heating, cooling, and domestic hot water.

High-Volume Heat Recovery: By filtering and repurposing heat from wastewater, the SHARC 660 provides an efficient, renewable energy source that cuts down on fossil fuel reliance and aligns with Alafia’s Passive House standards.
Filtration and Minimal Maintenance: The SHARC 660 features patented filtration technology, allowing it to handle wastewater directly with minimal need for pre-screening. This keeps maintenance low and ensures long-term reliability.
Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics: The system’s real-time monitoring capability enables remote diagnostics, providing operational assurance and optimizing performance year-round.

2x PIRANHA T15 Series

Building C3

The PIRANHA T15 system is designed for smaller, high-demand applications within the development, well suited for Building C3.

The PIRANHA unit is an all-in-one heat recovery system that captures thermal energy directly from greywater to produce domestic hot water.

Efficient Hot Water Generation: The PIRANHA T15 heats domestic hot water using greywater, drastically reducing conventional energy use in smaller buildings.
Compact and Adaptable: Ideal for confined plant rooms, the PIRANHA T15 seamlessly integrates with existing building systems, meeting hot water demand without significant spatial or structural changes.
Low Operational Costs: The PIRANHA system is virtually maintenance-free, providing consistent hot water production and energy savings for the building without extensive upkeep.

What’s the key differences between the SHARC Series and PIRANHA Series implementations?

Scale: The SHARC 660 serves large buildings and handles high wastewater volumes, while the PIRANHA T15 is compact and suited for smaller applications with high hot water demand.
Technology and Filtration: The SHARC 660 includes advanced filtration, enabling it to process wastewater with minimal intervention. The PIRANHA, designed specifically for greywater, does not include this filtration component.
Application Focus: The SHARC 660 operates as a versatile heat source and sink for extensive heating and cooling, while the PIRANHA T15 primarily supports hot water generation.

Through these dual implementations, SHARC Energy’s solutions ensure Alafia benefits from a highly efficient, flexible, and sustainable energy system, perfectly suited to the project’s multifaceted energy demands.

Project Specs

Product Installed	Project Type	Project Size	Commissioned	Developer	Engineer	Architect
SHARC 660 + 2x PIRANHA T15	District Energy + Multi-Family Residential	2.2M sq ft	Nov 2024			-

Alafia

New York / NYSERDA's Vision

888 Fountain Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Highlights:

What's installed at Alafia?

1x SHARC 660 Series

Buildings C1 & C2

2x PIRANHA T15 Series

Building C3

Project Specs

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