1. Potential utilization of forest biomass
for bio-energy in small and remote
communities of the Southern BC Coast
Marian Marinescu – Researcher
FPInnovations
Vancouver, CANADA
Marian.Marinescu@FPInnovations.ca
Location: Portland, OR
Date: June 21, 2011

2. Outline
 Situation, Needs, and Objectives
 Approach
 Results
 Conclusions
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3. British Columbia
Situation
Small Community
Pulp Mill
Community Applied to Remote Electrification Program
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4. Need
 Forestry region  Increased interest in the use of
forest biomass for bio-energy in the region.
 Forest biomass inventory  investment decisions
in bio-energy programs.
 Demand for biomass vs. supply  success of bio-
energy investments.
 Costs of extracting, processing, and
transportation of forest biomass  feasibility of
bio-energy projects.
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5. Objectives
 To estimate the heat and electrical power
consumption in small and remote communities
on Vancouver Island and the southern mainland
coast of British Columbia;
 To assess the local availability of forest biomass
to generate energy in these communities;
 To estimate forest biomass harvesting,
processing, and transportation costs;
 To evaluate the feasibility of small-scale
combustion technologies, such as: cordwood/chip
boilers and modular combined heat and power
(CHP) units.
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6. Approach
 Community selection  definition  37 small
and remote communities
 Energy consumption  per capita  annual
community consumption
Total
Annual Consumption (kWh/Person)
(kWh/Person)
District Code
Natural Gas
BC
Heating Oil
Electricity
Electricity
Propane
Regional
Wood
Heat
District
Alberni-Clayoquot A-C 9,672 249 3,322 1,764 1,445 7,737 8,713
Capital C 8,655 742 - 1,572 4,298 6,924 8,342
Comox-
C-S 6,831 339 2,062 2,403 1,968 5,465 8,137
Stratchona
Cowichan Valley CV 7,026 306 514 2,170 1,778 5,621 6,173
Mount
MW 6,691 1,049 - 7,462 6,101 5,353 15,950
Waddington
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7. Approach
 Small scale combustion technologies 
 Combustion efficiencies
• High efficiency wood stoves: 80%
• Cordwood/chip boilers: 78%
• Modular CHP: 25% electrical, 50% thermal
• Pellet stoves: 90%
• Pellet boilers: 90%
Technology Cost estimates References
Wood Stove $600-$3,000 www.canadiantire.ca
Cordwood Boilers (25kW) $ 70,000 Nichols, 2009
Community Energy Association,
Chip Boilers 1,000 $/kW
2007
Modular CHP gasification units 6,500 $/kW US EPA, 2007
Pellet Stove $1,200 – $2,000 www.canadiantire.ca
$7,000 - $9,000 www.harmanstoves.com
Pellet Boilers (Harman, Tarm Biomass)
15,000 - $30,000 www.woodboilers.com
Community Energy Association,
Water/Steam Pipes 300 -1,400 $/meter
2007 and Marinova et al., 2008
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8. Approach
 Biomass Requirements:
Woody Biomass [ODt/yr] = Annual Heating or Electricity
Consumption [MWh/yr] / (Energy conversion factor x
Energy conversion efficiency [%])
 Biomass Availability:
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9. Approach
 Biomass Sources, Supply Chains, and Costs:
• Two supply chains: Firewood and Woodchips
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10. Approach
 Biomass costs:
Biomass Stumpage Fee Cut & Split Chipping Transportation TOTAL
Costs ($/ODt) ($/ODt) ($/ODt) ($/ODt) ($/ODt)
Firewood 8.00 80.00 - 25.00 113.00
Woodchips 8.00 - 22.00 25.00 55.00
Wood pellets - - - - 250.00
 Energy costs:
• Current community annual heating and electricity costs
— Electricity: 0.065 $/kWh (BC Hydro) or 0.35 $/kWh (diesel generation)
— Propane: 0.126 $/kWh
— Natural Gas: 0.036 $/kWh
— Heating oil: 0.108 $/kWh
— Firewood: 0.06 $/kWh (assuming $150/cord and 2,500 kWh/cord)
• Modular combined heat and power (CHP) annual cost
• Woodchip district heating annual cost
• Cordwood district heating annual cost
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11. MWh
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
Bamfield
Bull
Coal Harbour
Da'naxda'xw/Dead Point
Results
Ditidaht
Ehattesaht
Gwawaenuk/Hopetown
Health
Hesquiaht
Holberg
Huu-ay-aht
Jordan River
Kingcome/Tsawataineuk
Klahoose
Kyuquot
Lasqueti/False Bay
Mansons Landing
Electricity
Marktosis/Ahousat
Mowachaht/ Muchalaht
Nuchatlaht
Opitsat
Heat
Oweekeno/Katit
Pacheedaht
Port Renfrew
Quatsino
Quatsino IR
Rumble Beach/Port Alice
Sayward
Seaford
Shirley
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Tahsis
Tla-o-qui-aht
Community Annual Energy Consumption (MW h)
Uchucklesaht
Ucluelet
Whaletown
Woss
Zeballos

12. Biomass Required & Available (ODt)
-
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
200
400
600
800
1. Bamfield
3. Coal Harbour
Results
5. Ditidaht
6. Ehattesaht
10. Holberg
11. Huu-ay-aht
12. Jordan River
15. Kyuquot
19. Mowachaht/
Muchalaht
20. Nuchatlaht
23. Pacheedaht
CHP (Odt/yr)
Heat (Odt/yr)
24. Port Renfrew
25. Quatsino
26. Quatsino IR
27. Rumble Beach
28. Sayward
30. Shirley
31. Tahsis
Full substitution of fossil fuels in these communities  7,200 t CO2e
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33. Uchucklesaht
Communities with Sufficeint Biomass Required for Heating or CHP
34. Ucluelet
36. Woss
37. Zeballos

13. Results
Biomass Costs ($/MWh)
Combustion
Technology Solid Wood Wood
Wood Chips Pellets
Boilers 27 13 -
Modular CHP - 14 -
Pellet Stoves - - 58
Pellet Boilers - - 57
Electricity: 0.06 $/kWh (hydro); > 0.35 $/kWh (diesel generated)
Propane: 0.13 $/kWh
Natural gas: 0.04 $/kWh
Heating oil: 0.11 $/kWh
Fossil fuel costs do not take into consideration the energy efficiencies of conversion technologies (i.e. stoves, boilers,
furnaces, etc.) so the actual costs could be higher.
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14. Results
Annual heat + power costs for current and potential CHP generation
in communities with available biomass
$1,600,000
Off-grid community
Current H&P costs
$1,400,000
Potential CHP costs
$1,200,000
$1,000,000
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$200,000
$-
Mowachaht/ Muchalaht
Huu-ay-aht
Kyuquot
Jordan River
Shirley
Sayward
Ditidaht
Nuchatlaht
Pacheedaht
Ucluelet
Coal Harbour
Holberg
Port Renfrew
Rumble Beach/Port Alice
Uchucklesaht
Bamfield
Quatsino
Quatsino IR
Woss
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15. $-
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
Bamfield
Coal Harbour
Results
Ditidaht
Ehattesaht
Holberg
Huu-ay-aht
Jordan River
Kyuquot
Mowachaht/ Muchalaht
Nuchatlaht
Pacheedaht
Port Renfrew
Current heating costs
Quatsino
Potential Chip Boiler Costs
Quatsino IR
Rumble Beach/Port Alice
Sayward
Shirley
generation in communities with available biomass
Tahsis
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Annual heating costs for current and potential chip boiler
Uchucklesaht Off-grid community
Ucluelet
Woss
Zeballos

16. $-
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
$1,400,000
Bamfield
Coal Harbour
Results
Ditidaht
Ehattesaht
Holberg
Huu-ay-aht
Jordan River
Kyuquot
Mowachaht/ Muchalaht
Nuchatlaht
Current Heating Costs
Pacheedaht
Port Renfrew
Potential Cordwood Boiler Costs
Quatsino
Quatsino IR
Rumble Beach/Port Alice
Sayward
Shirley
generation in communities with available biomass
Tahsis
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Uchucklesaht Off-grid community
Annual heating costs for current and potential cordwood boiler
Ucluelet
Woss
Zeballos

17. Conclusions
 Available biomass  CHP in 19 or DH in 22 communities
 Wood chips for CHP and DH  lowest cost biomass
 Small to medium amount of feedstock in isolated, remote
communities  challenging
 CHP and DH  can’t compete with current energy costs in
BC
 Off-grid communities  government subsidies and energy
conservation programs
 Pipe costs high  public buildings, clusters of buildings.
 Carbon credits  beneficial but not significant at small scale
 CHP  need heat sinks
 Integration in community development plans
 On the ground studies  long term biomass supply
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18. Acknowledgements
 BC Coast Initiative
 Tony Sauder – Group Leader, Feedstock Group, FPInnovations
 Jack MacDonald – Group Leader, Harvesting Group, FPInnovations
 Ed Proteau – Extension Specialist, FPInnovations
 Nick Hawley – Manager, BC Hydro, Remote Community Electrification Program
 Brendan Mohan – Biomass Development Manager, Western Forest Products Inc.
 Dr. Shahab Sokhansanj – Professor, UBC, Biomass and Bio-energy Research Group (BBRG)
 Scott Stanners – Director of Research, BC Bio-Energy Network
 Danielle Myles – Research Analyst, BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
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