BIOENERGY

FEASIBILITY & OPERATIONAL NECESSITIES

Site Requirements

A biomass energy plant requires an industrial sized site16 of approximately 2-40 acres, along with a reliable water supply and sufficient supply of biomass fuel to maintain a consistent energy output. A network of insulated pipes is required to convey hot water away from the installation, other district heating systems use steam or thermal oil to distribute heat. For district heating to be viable, a high concentration of clustered target buildings needs to be present.

Planning Requirements

The development of a bioenergy project requires the identification of a secure and sustainable fuel source. The most common biomass fuel sources used in bioenergy projects include:

• Wood pellets

• Wood chips

• Logging and mill residues and wastes

• Wood from non-marketable timber and associated wastes

• Accessibility to the grid for interconnection

• Electricity rates

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It is crucial for the success of any DHS that a steady, preferably local supplies of biomass be available. This can include secondary wood product manufacturers, waste wood from sawmills, logging slash, clean construction and demolitions waste or farms. Ideally, a long-term supply contract from one or several suppliers should be negotiated to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fuel. Distance from fuel source to biomass facility is critical to project feasibility and supply contract success. Transportation of wood fuel is often the largest limiting factor in biomass fuel supply.
Another factor that needs to be kept in mind is whether any major modifications need to be made to buildings, services or processes in order to accommodate a district energy system.

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Environmental Concerns

Bioenergy is a unique type of renewable energy since unlike solar, wind or hydro, generating power from biomass results in the release of GHG emissions and pollutants into the air. The carbon impact of bioenergy depends on the combustion technology, method of biomass harvesting, re-growing effects, the type of biomass used and the energy source it is displacing. With proper planning and technology selection, it is possible that the biomass DHS can be carbon neutral.
It should be noted that in some cases, “waste wood” (such as slash) is burned as a means of wood disposal. This can result in the unnecessary release of GHG emissions into the air, when the wood could alternatively be burned as a means of heat generation in homes or a bioenergy system.

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Additionally, there are other environmental consequences to consider:

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• Pollution: Outside of contributing carbon dioxide emissions, burning biomass in a solid, liquid, or gaseous state can also emit other pollutants and particu
  late matter into the air, including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides.

• Water use: Plants require water to grow; when energy companies grow trees and other crops for a bioenergy plant, they use a lot of water for irrigation. On a large scale, this exacerbates drought conditions, impacting aquatic habitats and the amount of water supply available for other purposes (food crops, drinking, hydropower, etc.).

To minimize potential wood wastes and slash burning in the Upper Skeena region, local communities could explore the option of working with logging contractors to set aside wood was which could be used in homes for wood stove or boilers. This would likely require a policy change to be implemented to allow for waste wood to go to locals rather than being burned as slashed or disposed of in other ways.