Looking ahead Exciting times and challenges ahead Factors that will help or hinder development in the years to come. By Treena Hein i n their recent report, “Renewable Energy Scenario to 2040,” the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) is clear. The Council be-lieves that in the long term, “renewable energies will dominate the world’s energy supply system. The reason is at the same time very simple and imperative: there is no alternative. Humankind cannot indefi-nitely continue to base its activities on the consumption of finite energy resources.” EREC projects biomass to remain the most-used renewable energy source on the planet going forward. But, if the long-term future for biomass use is bright, that doesn’t mean the road will be smooth. Canadian Biomass takes a close look at the factors that will help spur the industry forward, and those that will provide the greatest challenges. DIVERSITY AND FLEXIBILITY The range of products that can come from biomass is a huge factor in the growth of its use, now and in the future. Biomass can provide heating, electricity, fuel, biochemicals and more. “Biomass is a prolific and globally-distributed renew-able carbon-based resource,” notes Doug Bull, a researcher in the Biorefinery & Energy Group at industry research firm FPInnovations. “Other renewable energy Air System Experts Biomass N Boardplants Power generation N Pulp & Paper Sawmills N Materials handling N 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. resources (wind, solar, hydro and so on) are not, and hence cannot, be used to directly make carbon-based products such as fuels and to get organic chemicals from.” Many commercial biofuel plants are expected to be built worldwide over the next few years, some of which can accept feedstocks such as construction debris and textiles. The flexibility of these facilities is very attractive. The conversion of coal power plants to accept biomass is also well underway in several countries, and some are using waste heat in combined heat and power plants (CHP) as well. Another important feature of biomass is that it can produce energy on demand, notes Gordon Murray, executive direc-tor of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. “In electricity, this is known as dispatchable energy. Some other energy forms are dependent on the sun shining or the wind blowing, etc.” Safety Quality Value Surrey,BC N Vernon,BC N WilliamsLake,BC N Edmonton,Alberta N Prince Albert, Sask www.alliedblower.com N Phone: 800-576-3611 26 Canadian BIOMASS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014
Canadian Biomass September October 2014: Page 26
