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Overall, biomass district heating systems have been received quite well in various locations around the NWT, including many installations in the City of Yellowknife as well as in regional centres such as Norman Wells, Ft. Simpson, & Hay River. The majority of these district heating systems have been led by the GNWT and City of Yellowknife.
A handful of smaller district heating systems have been sought directly by community governments such as the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (Kakisa) – not yet commissioned & hugely delayed by challenges with getting the installation contractor on-site to complete the work at each stage of this project, the Native Communications Society co-operative biomass district heating system (in Yellowknife).
Resistance to these biomass district heating systems has not focused on air quality, various challenges such as securing the necessary understanding of these new technologies, the funds & expertise to manage such installations, and the need for dedicated contractors to competently install these systems AND fro the community to be able to access appropriate maintenance and repair contractors if & when the systems fail and need appropriately trained service experts to deal with the matter.
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Is the Victoria report available online Geoff? Would love to get a copy of the report.
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In Nanaimo BC, I know Vancouver Island Health has been working to reduce energy use and lower carbon emissions in a number of ways. Recently, the City was approached to discuss the feasibility of replacing the existing oil fired boilers at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) with a co-generation plant using bio-mass and natural gas as a backup.
They felt that biomass provides an opportunity to help stimulate local employment on the island as well as lower carbon emissions by switching fuels from oil to wood, which can be considered as a more carbon neutral choice, as long as the reforestation is done sustainably. While we have not yet engaged the public to discuss this yet, I know our council and Mayor had an immediate negative reaction toward the thought of the hospitable burning wood.
Despite the assurances about how clean the technology is for wood burning, there is a strong negative reaction toward going this way in the City. Like many communities, Nanaimo has allot of homes with wood stoves, which have caused localized air quality issues in past winters. I think this has helped set this kind of tone.
Recent proposals about rezoning industrial land to accept garbage from the lower mainland to be used in a proposed biomass incinerator also met a strong negative public reaction.
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On the technical level, it appears that situating biomass boilers within a natural gas grid is very helpful (as you mention VIH is exploring in Nanaimo). In a sense NG can be considered a “bridge fuel” in this specific context. The natural gas can be phased out in a district heating system, as alternatives become viable. When used to create electricity, natural gas does no better than coal as far a GHG’s are concerned, so it’s sometimes called the “bridge to nowhere” in that case.
When a community is outside of the NG infrastructure there is an opportunity to explore bio-methane, or woodgas as a backup, or look to a heat-exchange technology.
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I’d like to think that a biomass district energy system would be supported here. However, I know a few folks who have an issue with emissions from wood heat.
In many ways, biomass is a great resource on this island, as we have lots of trees and forests, and we have employment in the forrest industry – loggers, firewood suppliers, arborists.
With such a focus on agriculture I can see a bit of a battle as to the most desirable end product of any sustainable wood harvest. People seem to be fearful of energy and would rather not think of the effects of their consumption. Organic biomass for agriculture is pretty popular- competing with sustainable energy for green credibility. In this regard I could see a biomass digester as a better fit for this community: the side product of bio digestion is great organic compost.
Some research would need to be done to gauge the community acceptance on a biomass district heat system.
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