powerful than the 550 kilowatts it was expected to deliver. Considering that a boiler’s efficiency is at its best when heating at its highest capacity, Verrier’s boiler may actually be too big for his 2,500 m 2 of greenhouse. “It is essential that boiler man-ufacturers be able to certify their products properly regarding energy output and environmental regulations,” Gobeil says. There also seems to be an absence of expertise in Quebec about hot water distribution networks and hot water storage. To this day, Verrier’s tank does not work properly. “Storing hot water is meant as a buffer that allows you to have a much smaller boiler,” Gobeil says. “The system has to be well config-ured. It’s not as simple as one could think.” In other words: unless they purchase technology from far away, Quebec growers are not able to get precise and proven information about the performance and optimal configuration of a biomass heating system. In Europe, manufacturers provide extensive data about their boilers and also offer quality follow-up service once installed, adds Gobeil. Despite his system still needing significant adjustments, Verrier is a happy farmer. “Heating with wood biomass requires a lot more involvement than heating with natural gas,” he says. But for him, handling wood with his farm machinery and feed-ing it into his chipper is the fun part of the day. As part of the Vitrine biomasse project, Les Serres Verrier remains open to visitors, from both forestry and greenhouse sectors. Two fact sheets have been printed on implementing a biomass heating system for a greenhouse farm and on the types of wood biomass and their advantages. Two more fact sheets are in the works: one on technical aspects of biomass heating and the other on financial considerations. So far, the Vitrine biomasse has inspired five new projects, four of which are waiting for public funding from the BEIÉ. The agency’s budget has run out and the next available funds will come in 2013. For greenhouse growers, a biomass heating system must pay for itself within three years, Gobeil says. Without subsidies, this cannot be achieved. “There is plenty of interest from grow-iÀÃÊ>`ÊÌ iÊ«À}À>ÃÊV>½ÌÊii«ÊÕ«°»ÊU BIOMASS BELIEVER HONOURED Last February, Quebec greenhouse farmers awarded forestry engineer Jean Gobeil with the Méritas Rolland-Harnois for “showing faith in the development of (local) greenhouse production and believing in the potential of our businesses and their work force.” Jean Gobeil has been involved in several greenhouse biomass conversions. Last year, he advised Quebec’s most important propagator, Sylvain Lefort, in an $8-million project to heat 6.5 hectares of greenhouses using two six-megawatt boilers. DEHYDRATION SYSTEMS ROTARY DRUM DRYERS Baker-Rullman Triple-Pass Technology remains the superior dehydration system by optimizing operating costs, efficiency, and end product consistency. Q Q Q Q Wood Pellets Ag Products Municipal Waste Bio Mass Call: (920) 261-8107 email: [email protected] www.baker-rullman.com Baker-Rullman Manufacturing, Inc. 4 East Main Street P.O. Box 67 Watertown, WI 53094 Canadian BIOMASS 21
Canadian Biomass September/October 2012: Page 21
