http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2014/01/western-canadas-forests-are-fueling-greener-heating?cmpid=WNL-Friday-January24-2014
Western Canada's Forests Are Fueling Greener Heating
Jenn Wilson
January 22, 2014
The province of British Columbia, situated on the western edge of
Canada, has 55 million hectares of public forest land, making forestry
one of the province’s key sectors. Each year the industry creates wood
waste, which innovators in the province have turned into a valuable
resource – clean-burning wood pellets.
Throughout the province, there is enough wood to help meet the growing
global demand for biofuel. Seven million tonnes of wood by-product is
created from logging and nearly 140 million tonnes of standing deadwood
trees are left by the mountain pine beetle epidemic and fires. A leader
in renewable bioenergy, the province’s skilled workforce and wood pellet
companies now utilize the damaged trees — as well as sawdust, planer
shavings, bark and logging waste — to manufacture renewable and
carbon-neutral solid biofuels.
Research and development in the sector is key to the success of the wood
pellet industry and other high-tech forestry businesses. The Wood Pellet
Association of Canada and the University of British Columbia have
partnered to create the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group, which is a
multi-department, multi-disciplinary team in the province’s largest
city, Vancouver, and conducts innovative research in biomass
densification, preprocessing, resource management, material
characterization, and supply logistics. The University of Northern
British Columbia, located in Prince George, has developed a state-of-the
art bioenergy facility that reduces its fossil fuel consumption by 85
per cent.
British Columbia is a key supply region for wood pellets, representing
about 66 percent of Canada’s production capacity, and is recognized
globally for its sustainably managed forest industry. Eleven wood pellet
facilities operate in the province, with capacity for nearly two million
tonnes annually, helping to meet the increasing global demand for clean
energy.
Currently, Europe is increasing its demand for Canadian wood pellets to
heat homes and factories. Since Europe discovered a clean-burning,
reliable source of energy that wasn’t there 20 years ago, it can now
reduce its reliance on coal and other carbon intensive energy sources.
Asia is also emerging as a market demanding more Canadian wood pellets.
One of BC’s largest wood pellet producers, Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Group, is shipping the majority of its exports to Europe, and will also
be working to reach growing markets in Japan and South Korea. Companies
such as Pinnacle are able to meet that demand through BC’s world-class
transportation network and reliable supply chain that can get the
pellets to market quickly and cost-effectively. British Columbia’s wood
pellet industry also has a highly skilled workforce providing technical
expertise to bioenergy operations around the world.
To learn more about British Columbia’s international trade and
investment opportunities, visit www.britishcolumbia.ca.
Follow us at @bctradeinvest.
--
Darryl McMahon
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