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| | From AESA Council's Past Chair
By Bruce Beattie
Alberta Milk
This issue of Green Matters takes another look at the development of energy production from biomass. Modern society has become almost totally reliant on a continuous and bountiful supply of relatively cheap energy, generated primarily by the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels. As evidence mounts about the negative effects on our environment from the emissions resulting from this activity, interest in finding alternative fuel sources has blossomed. Canadian agriculture is stepping forward to capture its share of this development.
Low returns from traditional markets have been one of the drivers for the Canadian grains sector to consider bioenergy opportunities. The move to large, intensive livestock production has created nutrient management challenges, with biogas production providing an option to address some of the problems associated with dealing with large volumes of manure in a concentrated area. Agricultural processors are looking at bioenergy production as a way to deal with their processing wastes and reduce their energy costs.
High capital cost is one of the hindrances to adopting many of these technologies. While farmers are no strangers to risk management, the level of investment required necessitates a search for partners in these new ventures. Governments at most levels have recognized that they have a role to play, including providing some funding assistance to help bioenergy entrepreneurs with a range of activities like feasibility studies, pilot projects and facility construction. These projects are not unlike other investments that governments have made in infrastructure that benefits all society. Innovative taxation strategies can also facilitate these new ventures.
Along with any government role must also come a careful analysis of the potential for unintended and possible long-term consequences on the landscape as well as distortion of true value when subsidies and grants are provided to some of the players. Corn is the major component of ethanol production in the United States, but without subsidies and tariff protection, where would that industry be today? Vast areas of mono-culture, without adequate crop rotation could lead to increased disease and pest outbreaks, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity.
There are many questions still to be answered and issues to consider about bioenergy. Ethanol contains only about two-thirds as much energy as gasoline; the higher the concentration of alcohol in fuel, the more fuel you have to use to go the same distance. Biodiesel blends can reduce engine wear and are more benign in emissions, but present problems for cold climate operations as the proportion of biodiesel increases. Also a network of biofuel blending and distribution facilities will need to be developed. The major players will be hesitant to invest in that infrastructure without a significant market demand for biofuels.
Bioenergy production is just one part of a suite of renewable energy strategies that together can reduce our collective impact on the environment. Together with solar, wind and geo-thermal, to name a few, science continues to search for ways to reduce emissions, and perhaps slow the rate of climate change.
Work needs to continue, with the development of pilot plants to learn about these technologies, to build knowledge around production and distribution in a Canadian context. It takes energy to produce energy whether fossil or biomass, but transport and transmission are also significant costs in both economic and environmental terms.
Farmers have been producing biofuel for centuries – it’s called food. Now a new market has arisen, and the agriculture sector is intent on playing a major role. |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Roger Bryan.
This document is maintained by Deb Sutton.
This information published to the web on January 26, 2007.
Last Reviewed/Revised on January 19, 2009.
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