Jim HILTON
Special to the Tribune
On May 6 2024, I participated in a webinar sponsored by Canadian Biomass about the role bio-heat can play in addressing Canadian energy needs, in particular the policies and incentives required to achieve our energy goals. Speakers Jonathan Levesque and Karen Brandt described how energy providers and governments recognize the need to diversify and expand the electricity grid and to provide carbon-friendly solutions.
They told us experts estimate that Canada’s electricity generation capacity needs to grow two-to-three times larger to meet demand by 2050.
While some provinces have traditionally relied on fossil fuels for energy, other provinces which are dependent on hydroelectricity are looking at additional sources of green energy.
“The fact is, no single solution can meet all energy demands going forward. Today pellet producers, equipment suppliers, power regulators, governments and customers are demonstrating the ways bio-heat can effectively and efficiently alleviate the strain on the environment, electricity and costs.”
The speakers also discussed the importance of central biomass heating systems where small northern towns could reduce their heating costs which are now importing fossil fuels. There is also a need to look into reducing import restrictions of some European equipment which has been proven safe and reliable for biomass heating systems.
Another story that caught my attention was a greenhouse owner in Quebec who was using wood chips to heat his buildings year-round. After some experimenting Mr. Tremblay bought a German-made Heizohack wood chipper from Heizomat to transform his logs into wood chips optimized for use in the boiler.
“Since then, the boiler has worked like a charm. Getting the wood ready to burn takes a lot of work. But, Tremblay regards the investment in the Hargassner boiler as more than worth it, as it costs him next to nothing in raw material costs to heat his greenhouses all year round.”
The same issue of Canadian Biomass also had an interesting local story about Quesnel, B.C. being issued a Bio-economy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone ‘A’ rating for 100,000 oven-dry tons per year of forest residue
“As British Columbia’s first ‘A’ rating, the Quesnel BDO Zone is capitalizing on an opportunity to transform their presently underutilized forest residue resources into a meaningful expansion of the value-added wood products industry,” said Jordan Solomon, chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative.
The Quesnel BDO Zone encompasses a 120-km drive distance from the centre point in the city of Quesnel and is the first ‘A’ rated BDO Zone in British Columbia for forest residues, according to a press release issued by Ecostrat and the city of Quesnel.
“The BDO Initiative will help Quesnel start utilizing the types of low-value residual fibre that is often piled and burned,” said Byron Johnson, Quesnel city manager. “The large piles that are left in the forest not only increase the risk of wildfire for our community, but this wood could be used for products or energy production. We are hoping to attract investors with fresh and innovative ideas to turn this low-value waste into products that can be used in Quesnel, the Cariboo Region, and beyond.”
One of the key features in the above announcement is the 120 km drive distance from Quesnel. The challenge is the more remote areas like the Chilcotin. In addition to the solar farm being proposed near Nimpo some sort of biomass heating and electricity generation systems should be included in the long-term planning of the area to finally eliminate the diesel generation of power.
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