Bio-Energy Conference Underway

Wednesday, May 31, 2006 09:24 AM

Delegates settle in at the Canfor Theater for the Bio energy conference

The first conference attracted 85 delegates, this time there are more than 200 delegates from all over the world. The growth in attendance echoes the growth in interest in development of bio-energy.

“We view bio-energy as major opportunity for this region and for this University” said UNBC President Charles Jago.

Certainly bio-energy is growing with word of at least three pellet plants being developed in the Northern Interior.

The Federal Government has already made a commitment to have 5% bio-diesel fuels by 2010. Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Pat Bell says we can expect the Federal Government to set aside half a billion dollars to the development of bio-energy fuels, and certainly the Peace District is humming over the prospects. “Not because of oil and gas extraction “ says Bell, rather, there is excitement about the potential for bio-diesel fuels because they require grain “It will produce a major opportunity for farmers in the Peace.”

There are other “clean” energy projects underway throughout the Province including the the forestry sector already under contract to B.C Hydro for excess power, there is also a bio-mass gasification plant north of Kamloops, a biodiesel production project in Fernie, a cellulose – ethanol project underway at UBC and there are projects to turn landfill gasses into energy.

The City of Prince George is already planning a community heating system. Mayor Colin Kinsley would like to see that project tied to electricity production. “It is my understanding that if you just use bio-mass to heat water you are getting about 25% efficiency from the materials you are burning, but when you add electricity production, that efficiency rate jumps to 85%.”

“We have to get the message out to the nay sayers who don’t want us to cut trees, trees are our only true renewable resource.”

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Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 09:24 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Chadermando on May 31 2006 10:06 AM

Thats the best news I've heard all year.

Posted by: Palopu on May 31 2006 7:49 PM

With Co-Generation plants at all 3 Pulp Mills and plans for one at the Plywood Plant, and with Co-Gen plants at the Paper Mill in Kitimat, plus others all over the Province you would think that the Mayor would have been aware that the savings and money comes from electricity production, not from heating a bunch of buildings with hot water. If you are going to produce electricity, then you may as well heat the building with electricity, and save yourself the cost of piping the water to all the buildings. There is no need to heat by water if you are producing electricity. The surplus can be sold to Hydro and everybody would be happy. Watch the Mayor and his buddys go for the water heater, and tear apart every street, and building in the Downtown Centre.

Trees may be a renewable resource however it takes 80 to 100 years before you have a tree that is of any use. Highly unlikely that anyone in this City will be around to see how reforestation worked out. I was looking as some trees the other day that were planted in 1969 and they are hardly the size of a fence post. We should be getting used to the idea that once the timber is gone, it is gone for at least 70 to 80 years, and we better be looking for something else to do, or move out.

Posted by: owl on May 31 2006 11:18 PM

Here is another take on the use of biomass for energy .... short rotation crops are required.

I have three cottonwood trees in my back yard which I planted from sticks growing on the sides of road in 1979. 20 and 25 year rotation on them things. Grwos like a weed, not a good structural wood. They are now easily 2+feet in diameter and 80 or so feet high. As I recall, Northwood's mill in Bemidji Minnesota was built based on poplar plantations with 20 year rotations.

http://www.scionresearch.com/Default.aspx?PageContentID=97&tabid=207

Posted by: diplomat on June 3 2006 3:19 PM

Did anybody remember the millions of tons of biomass that are presently being burned as slash?

Probably not.