NORMAN LAKE Dec. 5 – Pine Star Logging has started grinding wood waste for Pacific BioEnergy’s wood pellet market after investing $750,000 in a new wood grinding machine, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“The work Pine Star and Pacific BioEnergy are doing highlights the potential for wood bioenergy in forestry’s future,” said Bell as he toured the Norman Lake site. “The forest sector has an important role to play in advancing B.C.’s green energy advantage, and Pine Star is an excellent example of a smaller, local company finding new ways to obtain more value from our forests.”
“Now that local companies are seeing the advantage of utilizing the wood waste and residue left over at logging sites rather than burning it, we have the opportunity to build a new culture around dealing with forest debris,” said George Stedeford, manager of commercial operations for Pacific BioEnergy. “A reduction in the burning of logging debris will decrease the amount of fine particulate released into the air, creating a better air shed and air quality for Prince George and its surrounding communities.”
When used to generate energy, wood waste is considered carbon-neutral because it releases no more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs during its lifetime. As a result, bioenergy can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere if it replaces non-renewable sources of energy.
“This is the beginning of a brand new industry because what was once considered waste now has new value,” said Keith Brandner, manager of Pine Star Logging. “We’ve made this significant investment because we see a future in bioenergy. Plus, the portability of this operation means we can go wherever we need to and harvest what has previously been left behind on the forest floor.”
The hog fuel that Pine Star is creating from grinding wood waste and other logging debris left on logging sites will be used to create wood pellets for Pacific BioEnergy’s overseas fuel markets. Hog fuel is processed through a “hog” – a large mechanical shredder or grinder and consists of pulverized bark, shavings, sawdust, logging residue, low-grade lumber and lumber rejects from the operation of pulp mills, saw mills and plywood plants.
Pacific BioEnergy, a privately held company, has its corporate office in Vancouver and its manufacturing plant in Prince George. The company only sources wood fibre from certified companies that practise sustainable forest management. It has been manufacturing high quality wood pellets since 1994 and exporting overseas to international utilities since 1998.
Supporting the development of new bioenergy opportunities is a key step in the BC Bioenergy Strategy. For more information on the strategy, or to download a copy, visit www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bioenergy.
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Showing posts with label bioenergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bioenergy. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
British Columbia Clean Energy Plan
Today the government of the province of British Columbia outlined their Clean Energy Plan.
The news release states that the Province will require zero net greenhouse gas emissions from all new electricity projects and will support the development of clean energy technology.
Many targets were announced relating to clean energy, and the target dates ranged from 2010 to 2020. The highlights that stood out for me include:
Zero greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation.
Coal has always been thought of as a dirty energy source, but new technologies will allow coal to be used more efficiently and cleanly.
An ambitious target to acquire 50 per cent of BC Hydro’s incremental resource needs through conservation by 2020.
They had set an earlier target of about 30%, but now it is bumped up to 50%. According to the government document, current per household electricity consumption for BC Hydro customers is about 10,000 Kwh per year. Achieving this conservation target will see electricity use per household decline to approximately 9,000 Kwh per year by 2020.
The new BC Bioenergy Strategy will take advantage of B.C.’s abundant sources of renewable energy, such as beetle-killed timber, wood wastes and agricultural residues.
It is great to see a positive proposal for wood fibre that previously would have gone unused. The wood quality of lodgepole pine killed by mountain pine beetle deteriorates within a few years if it is left standing in the forest (if timber is harvested soon after beetle attack the wood quality is still fine). Beetle wood that is no longer suitable for lumber may still prove useful in bioenergy.
I am not sure how realistic the government's targets are, but it's encouraging to see them presenting some large scale initiatives towards energy conservation and cleaner fuels. Future governments will have to continue addressing these targets, as the bar has now been set.
For more information on the BC Energy Plan visit: http://energyplan.gov.bc.ca
The news release states that the Province will require zero net greenhouse gas emissions from all new electricity projects and will support the development of clean energy technology.
Many targets were announced relating to clean energy, and the target dates ranged from 2010 to 2020. The highlights that stood out for me include:
Zero greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation.
Coal has always been thought of as a dirty energy source, but new technologies will allow coal to be used more efficiently and cleanly.
An ambitious target to acquire 50 per cent of BC Hydro’s incremental resource needs through conservation by 2020.
They had set an earlier target of about 30%, but now it is bumped up to 50%. According to the government document, current per household electricity consumption for BC Hydro customers is about 10,000 Kwh per year. Achieving this conservation target will see electricity use per household decline to approximately 9,000 Kwh per year by 2020.
The new BC Bioenergy Strategy will take advantage of B.C.’s abundant sources of renewable energy, such as beetle-killed timber, wood wastes and agricultural residues.
It is great to see a positive proposal for wood fibre that previously would have gone unused. The wood quality of lodgepole pine killed by mountain pine beetle deteriorates within a few years if it is left standing in the forest (if timber is harvested soon after beetle attack the wood quality is still fine). Beetle wood that is no longer suitable for lumber may still prove useful in bioenergy.
I am not sure how realistic the government's targets are, but it's encouraging to see them presenting some large scale initiatives towards energy conservation and cleaner fuels. Future governments will have to continue addressing these targets, as the bar has now been set.
For more information on the BC Energy Plan visit: http://energyplan.gov.bc.ca
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