BIOMASS PROCESSING with BLISS. Bliss Industries, LLC is a leading manufacturer of wood and biomass pelleting equipment for residential, commercial and industrial pellet fuel. Founded in 1981, Bliss Industries maintains a reputation of manufacturing the most efficient, reliable and well-built equipment in the industry. Developed from a design concept proven worldwide, the range of Pioneer Pellet Mills continues to expand. Overall reliability, maximum efficiency, ease of operation and maintenance combine to provide lower operating costs to each owner. With the ability to provide a wide range of die sizes, die speeds and drive power, Bliss can more than meet your requirements for high quality at a reasonable cost. Bliss also manufactures an extensive line of hammermills for biomass size reduction and processing. Proudly Manufactured in the USA the lines of those offered for geothermal or solar energy, the creation of an infrastructure for both appliances and bulk pellet delivery. But we’ve seen it all happen in European countries that set their minds to it, so we know it’s possible. Right now, we’re seeing a capacity growth rate faster than any other country – we were recently at two million tonnes, are now closer to three million tonnes, and could go to four million and beyond with all the projects and expan- sions being discussed in Quebec, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada. So we have the local product, our need for heat is easily as great as any country save Russia, and now we have the added incentive of high oil prices and public concern over fossil fuels. The conditions are right.” WPAC’s Murray also agrees that, given a little political will, pellets could play a much larger role in Canada’s energy mix. That support can range from incentives, green- house gas reduction plans, and marketing, to something as simple (and free) as chang- ing boiler standards to make smaller district heating projects viable. “For Canada’s market to grow, we need to adopt renewable portfolio standards similar to the EU’s 20-20-20 program. In Canada, there is no commitment to re- duced greenhouse gas emissions. There are 19 coal plants that could easily con- sume all of Canada’s wood pellets, but little incentive for them to take on wood pellets when coal is so cheap. Ontario is planning to convert four coal plants to 100% pellets, but a final commitment has not been given by government to proceed. It will take a serious commitment by governments to reduce greenhouse gas coupled with sub- stantial marketing efforts to promote pellet use in Canada,” says Murray. Like others in the field, McCallum sees a domestic pellet market developing on three fronts: peak power generation to replace DOMESTIC MARKET CHECKLIST aunching a vibrant domestic market for wood pellets will take an aggressive and co-ordinated effort from federal and pro- vincial government, private investors, pellet manufacturers, and industry advocates like the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. Here is a basic list of what must be done to add pellets to Canada’s home heating mix. Financial incentives: Residential en- Impacting Industries Worldwide. Bliss Industries, LLC ergy incentives are common in Canada, but not yet for pellets. On a recent visit to a geothermal-supplied housing develop- ment in southwestern Ontario, Canadian Biomass heard of provincial and federal incentives that approached $10,000 per new home. That’s the kind of money re- quired: Pellet appliance supplier Bruce McCallum says a modern, central heating system with bulk storage and automated pellet infeed will set a homeowner back $12,000 to $16,000 installed. 24 CanadianBIOMASS Pellet and pellet appliance standards: As a new technology for Canadian hom- eowners and small businesses, consum- ers will want assurances that both the fuel and heating systems are reliable, safe, durable, and meet emissions standards. The U.S.-based Pellet Fuels Institute re- cently created a voluntary set of quality standards and labelling for its pellet-pro- ducing members. Appliances need similar guidelines and labelling systems. Installer education and certification: “The systems are, for the most part, al- ready available,” McCallum notes. Al- though some modifications are needed to meet the Canadian preference for hot air furnaces over boilers, the big hurdle, he says, is in creating a network of recognized installers. This is not a new challenge. The domestic geothermal sector had to build its network from scratch, and countries MARCH/APRIL 2010
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