PEI on Track to Heat with Biomass #peakoil

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The province has accepted two proposals to supply biomass-based heat for five public buildings in Prince Edward Island, says Environment, Energy and Forestry Minister Richard Brown.

“Government is committed to creating opportunities to replace fossil fuels with renewable and domestically produced alternatives,” said Minister Brown. “The expansion of biomass heat will create significant environmental benefits while strengthening our economy and our rural communities.”

Atlantic Bioheat will supply biomass-based heat to M.E. Callaghan and Hernewood Junior High Schools. Three Oaks High School, Bluefield High School and the O’Leary Community Hospital will be supplied with biomass-derived heat from Wood4heating.

“By replacing five existing heating systems with biomass-based heat, we are reducing our carbon footprint and improving our environment,” said Minister Ron MacKinley. “We expect to save money in the long run while using renewable fuels readily available on Prince Edward Island.”

Forest feedstock used to produce biomass heat must be harvested in a sustainable manner from woodlots with a registered forest management plan. Forestry products used to produce biomass heat include firewood, wood chips and sawdust. The contractors are required to use local resources and create local expertise with biomass.

Minister Brown said government will look at a further expansion of biomass-heating projects in the future.

This is a really smart move! We did a variant of this with wind when the Province and the Feds took the core energy block that made the economics work for the rest of us.  If we get enough public buildings heated with biomass we will have a supporting business up and running on PEI. The kind of work that most Islanders can do.

If we look back at when oil prices were high, we can see that about $200 million was being spent on heating with oil. This is in effect a tax on all of us. For all the money leaves the Island.

$200 million is half our health budget

It is $1,300 per person on PEI - that is a lot to play for!

Our total energy costs are approaching our tax base.

 

$200 million is about a 1/3 of this. If we make a big move to heating with local biomass - we reduce this "tax" and as important, we prepare for Peak Oil.

 

Here is a video I took about how these kinds of furnaces work - the one is at Ecole Evangeline - It's all real folks.

Posted via email from Rob's posterous