Project Profile Green energy makes cents Mont-Joli hospital converts to biomass. By Guillaume Roy | Translated by Amie Silverwood can a business reduce its carbon footprint while investing in long-term development? For Mont-Joli hospital, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, biomass heating has proven to be the ideal solu-tion that allows administrators to save $200,000 a year and eliminate 2,783 tons of CO2 while contributing to the local economy. Green energy makes economic sense. Converting from an oil fur-nace to a biomass boiler worked out well for the health and social services centre at the Mont-Joli hospital. “The hospital has a long-term vision in mind. Until recently, the hospital was heated with an oil furnace that emitted lots of pol-lution and greenhouse gases. We asked ourselves if we could do something to improve our carbon footprint. Several options were considered but choosing biomass was the most interesting because there were already local suppliers, it was easy enough to support the local economy by buying from local stock, and the Ministry of How Natural Resources and Wildlife through the Energy Efficiency Office (AEEQ), provides grants for these types of projects,” explains Nadia Drapeau, the technical project co-ordinator at the Mitis health and social service centre. In December 2012, a biomass boiler with 2000 kWh of power installed in a building next to the hospital relieved the building’s re-liance on fossil fuels. An electrical furnace allows for heating during maintenance hours. The conversion required $2.3 million, with a $1.1-million grant from AEEQ. The new system will have a five-year payback through annual savings of $234 000. On top of the finan-cial savings biomass technology will provide, 2,783 tons of CO2 emissions will be prevented – an equivalent of taking 1,400 cars off the road each year. Biomass was an appealing option because it would allow the hospital to support the local economy while taking advantage of available grants. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 12 Canadian BIOMASS
Canadian Biomass November/December 2013: Page 12
