reducing the cost of energy production. “We look at technology that fills a gap or is very appealing,” says Stanners. “Then, if it has a good chance of being implemented as claimed, we go through a contracting stage where we either make a contribution agreement with milestones or go through a loan process. Then we fol-low up and track the results and share a company’s success with others.” But, direct funding is not the only way BCBN can help. While most expressions of interest seek funding, the network has other ways to help, such as networking, bringing in other funding agencies and making future recommendations about the project. “We try to provide value in some form to every potential project,” says Stanners, “even if we do not provide direct funding.” FUTURE FOUNDATION Air System Experts Biomass ◆ Boardplants Power generation ◆ Pulp & Paper Sawmills ◆ Materials handling ◆ Mining Allied brings 35+ years experience in industrial air systems. Allied’s combination of design, supply, installation & maintenance services provides lower project cost, on-time completion, smoother start-up and less downtime – adding value and safety to your operation. Safety Quality Value Surrey,BC ◆ Vernon,BC ◆ WilliamsLake,BC ◆ Edmonton,Alberta ◆ Prince Albert, Sask www.alliedblower.com ◆ Phone: 800-576-3611 BIOENERGY INNOVATIONS Complete solutions with extensive experience -JHOPCPPTU 1MFBTFWJTJUVTBUCPPUI Metso Power North America 3430 Toringdon Way, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28277 (FOF$ISJTUJBOTFOb;�e; �e;tHFOF�f;DISJTUJBOTFO!NFUTP�f;DPN Canada 3BZNPOE#VSSFMMFb;�e;�e;a; tSBZNPOE�f;CVSSFMMF!NFUTP�f;DPN www.metso.com Recently, BC Bioenergy Network was in-vited to present to the British Columbia Bio-Economy Legislative Committee on 10 bioenergy opportunities that show great potential across the province. The presen-tation highlighted a variety of technologi-cal and industrial innovations that have the potential to advance the bioeconomy. In the presentation, the first two op-portunities discussed utilizing organic waste streams to displace fossil fuels and torrefacted wood to displace coal. These processes have the greatest potential for growth in British Columbia because they allow for the continued use of existing infrastructure, which can reduce overall project costs. “You want to use existing infrastructure or plants,” said Weedon, “and the oil and gas industries have long been experts at this – taking fossil fuels and using every component – the same principles need to apply to energy from biomass.” Other options discussed included dis-trict heating systems, supporting off-grid remote communities, biochemical produc-tion, improved biomass drying and finding uses for underutilized/damaged wood. Ideally, BCBN would like to fund every one of these projects, but with a limited budget, members have to select those that meet their mandate and seem the most likely to succeed within a near term time frame. But, that is not their ultimate goal. The network’s role is to kick-start a bioenergy industry, both within British Columbia and across the rest of Canada that has the potential to create affordable, safe and renewable energy. And the best way to accomplish that, added Weedon, is through fostering growth, development and innovation. “Our ultimate legacy will be the invest-ments, growing them and having others Ài«V>ÌiÊÌ i°»ÊU MAY/JUNE 2012 34 Canadian BIOMASS
Canadian Biomass May/June 2012: Page 34
