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Next Round of COMFIT Approvals Announced
Clean, local renewable electricity projects in four more Nova Scotia communities are set to move ahead with the announcement today, Feb. 7, of the next round of Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) approvals.
Energy Minister Charlie Parker announced that applications from the Halifax Regional Water Commission, Town of New Glasgow, Bowater Mersey and Celtic Current are approved to proceed to the next phase of development. The announcement at the Kaizer Meadow Environmental Management Facility in Chester also celebrated that community’s recent COMFIT project approval.
Details of the projects are:
Bowater Mersey is planning a combined heat and power biomass project at its Brooklyn energy plant. The company will install a turbine and generator to improve waste heat recovery from steam generated at the facility. The captured steam can then be converted into electricity.
Celtic Current is proposing a wind-generated project in Mulgrave. Celtic Current is a community economic development investment fund primarily owned and operated by Nova Scotian residents and aims to contribute power to the province's electrical grid. This project will be a partnership between Celtic Current and Zutphen Wind
The Halifax Regional Water Commission is proposing a large-wind project located in Lake Major, near Preston.
The Municipality of the District of Chester is planning a large-wind project at the Kaizer Meadow Environmental Management landfill facility. The project will be fully owned by the municipality.
The Town of New Glasgow is proposing a small-wind turbine located at the Forbes Lake water treatment facility. The town expects the turbine to be operational shortly.
For more information on these projects, click here.
"These projects harness the energy of their communities in more ways than one," said Mr. Parker. "Not only do they use local resources for the good of the surrounding area, they bring neighbours together in a spirit of cooperation and self-sufficiency."
The 2010 Renewable Electricity Plan introduced the COMFIT concept to help provide a secure supply of clean energy at stable prices, build support for renewable energy projects and create jobs. The program began accepting applications several months ago.
More than a dozen community groups have submitted over 90 proposals for the unique, made-in-Nova Scotia initiative that encourages community participation in renewable energy projects. The nine projects approved so far will generate about 25 megawatts of electricity.
The province is working with the remaining applicants to complete applications and build co-operation among those competing, with the bulk of applications expected to be processed by the spring.
New Glasgow Mayor Barrie MacMillan said the installation of a wind turbine was in keeping with the community's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
"The Town of New Glasgow is proud to be a partner with the province through its COMFIT program," said Mr. MacMillan. "This project will significantly reduce our electricity costs and help us meet our energy reduction targets.
"We thank the province for this important initiative towards a greener Nova Scotia. We remain firm in our pledge towards environmental action and reducing our carbon footprint while doing our part to help minimize climate change. Projects such as this can and do make a difference."
"The Municipality of the District of Chester had been pursuing opportunities to develop a wind energy project for a number of years with no clear path forward," said Warden Allen Webber. "The COMFIT program provided the clarity and security to develop this project.
"The minister and his government deserve the gratitude of all Nova Scotians for this significant initiative in moving us towards energy security and environmental stability. This project will benefit our community by strengthening our financial and environmental sustainability. Sustainable prosperity is a challenge for any community."
The COMFIT application process is still open. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the COMFIT administrator at Comfit@gov.ns.ca as early as possible to discuss projects.
COMFIT provides eligible groups an established price per kilowatt hour for projects producing electricity from renewable resources such as wind, biomass, in-stream tidal and run-of-the-river tidal developments. The feed-in tariff rates were established by the Utilities and Review Board in September.
Eligible groups include municipalities, First Nations, co-operatives, universities, community economic development funds and not-for-profit groups.
The COMFIT program will help the province reach its aggressive renewable electricity targets of 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015 and 40 per cent by 2020. The province expects 100 megawatts to be produced through the COMFIT.
For more information on the program and to apply, visit our Communities page.
http://nsrenewables.ca/news/next-round-comfit-approvals-announced
Bowater Takes Hope from Project
Approval allows mill to start plan to sell its power
SHERWOOD — Energy Minister Charlie Parker announced the second group of projects Tuesday to receive approval under a provincial program that promotes renewable electricity.
And one of them should help Bowater Mersey’s paper mill in Queens County stay in business.
“It will be a revenue generator and it will enhance the viability of the mill,” said Bowater Mersey spokeswoman Robin Anthony.
The approval under the province’s community feed-in tariff program means Bowater Mersey can get to work on its plan to sell electricity made from steam its power plant generates.
Anthony said Bowater Mersey’s Brooklyn Power Corp. already produces electricity that it sells to Nova Scotia Power Inc. Steam is a byproduct of that process, and it is piped across the road to supply the newsprint mill. The company will now get equipment that ties in to that line and uses the steam to produce electricity that it will sell to Nova Scotia Power.
“There will be no increase in emissions and no increase in fuel consumption,” Anthony said.
Bowater Mersey plans to begin selling the electricity next year.
“Our whole goal is to get off coal and oil and replace those fossil fuels with green energy,” Parker said during the announcement at the Kaizer Meadow Environmental Management Centre landfill site in Sherwood, Lunenburg County.
So far, there have been 93 applications from more than a dozen community groups in every region of the province, he said.
“The momentum around renewable energy in Nova Scotia continues to build and the collaboration and considerable effort of the applicants is commendable and underscores the resourcefulness and the talents of our people in the province.”
The other projects that received approval under the province’s community feed-in tariff program are Halifax Water, the Town of New Glasgow and Celtic Current for a project near Mulgrave.
James Campbell, communications and public relations co-ordinator for Halifax Water, said the utility plans to erect five turbines in the Lake Major area, near Preston, that would each generate 2.3 megawatts to be sold to Nova Scotia Power.
The approval means the water utility can now erect a couple of meteorological towers to gather detailed wind data over the next couple of years.
The utility’s energy costs are about $6 million a year. Campbell said the turbines are expected to pay for themselves in 11 years and then generate a profit. The utility is also applying under the community feed-in tariff program to put two turbines in the Pockwock Lake area and one at a second, smaller Lake Major site.
The Town of New Glasgow plans to build one turbine in Forbes Lake, Pictou County, that will produce 50 kilowatts of energy, while Celtic Current will build a 1.99-megawatt project near Mulgrave, in partnership with Zutphen Wind of Cape Breton.
Parker said these announcements mean more communities will be able to enjoy the benefits of clean, renewable electricity that is generated in their own backyards, creating jobs and economic opportunities for each region.
“Together, these applicants represent strong, community-based collaborations and significant community ownership.”
The community feed-in tariff program gives eligible groups an established price per kilowatt hour for projects that turn renewable resources such as wind, forests and tides into electricity. Parker said it will help the province meet its target of 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015 and 40 per cent by 2020, which would equate to 100 megawatts.
Parker said these projects are being developed against the backdrop of ever-escalating coal costs.
“We see that every time we open our power bill. This program can shield us from the rising cost of coal because it provides communities with the opportunity to generate some of their own energy and at a fixed cost over the next 20 years.”
The applicants that received approval Tuesday must now secure financing, consult with their communities, do more detailed wind tests, ensure Nova Scotia Power will buy their power, and carry out environmental assessments.
Parker said his department is still accepting applications and narrowing down the next group of approvals, to be announced “over the next few weeks.”
The Municipality of the District of Chester hosted the announcement. It received approval in December to build a wind turbine at its Kaizer Meadow facility, which it had decided a couple of years ago that it wanted to do, so much of the legwork has been done.
Warden Allen Webber credited municipal councillors with having the foresight to focus on green energy as a money-maker.
“You have to believe in it yourself or else it isn’t going to happen. ... It’s pretty gratifying that the program just happened to come along at the time that we happened to have our data all in place. That’s why we were the first approved in Nova Scotia, because we were ready.”
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/60196-bowater-takes-hope-project
Celtic Current approved for wind turbine
PORT HOOD — A new Inverness County-based wind energy company has received approval for its first facility, to be located in Mulgrave.
Celtic Current was recently approved for a community feed-in tariff from the Department of Energy for the 1.99-megawatt wind facility.
With the community’s help, Celtic Current is installing and operating three or four wind turbines throughout northeastern Nova Scotia. Combined, it is expected the turbines will produce approximately 6 megawatts of clean renewable energy. The turbines will be located on individual properties in unpopulated areas and connected to the local electrical distribution system.
Project manager Martha Campbell noted the company has submitted a number of other applications, for areas including Barrachois, Grand Etang, Lingan, Marion Bridge and Point Aconi — and they expect word on them soon.
Celtic Current is completely Nova Scotian owned. It was formed by Zutphen Wind and Celtic Current GP, a community economic development corporation.
“The community response has been excellent,” Campbell said.
The province’s renewable electricity plan sets out a legal requirement for Nova Scotia to produce 25 per cent more renewable energy by 2015.
The feed-in tariff program allows small power producers to receive $0.131 per kilowatt hour for electricity from qualifying renewable resources for a period of 20 years.
Campbell noted that individual investment opportunities in Celtic Current are now available.
There have been two rounds of tariff-approved projects made by the Department of Energy to date.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/Business/2012-02-09/article-2890893/Celtic-Current-approved-for-wind-turbine/1
Millbrook Gapproval to Construct wind Turbines
MILLBROOK - A three-turbine wind farm project has been approved for Millbrook First Nations. The six-megawatt wind project makes the Mi'kmaq band the first in the province to be approved under Nova Scotia's Community Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) program.
"Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaq have long understood the powerful relationship between responsible stewardship of our natural resources and a community's economic and social well-being," Energy Minister Charlie Parker said during a Friday afternoon announcement at the Glooscap Heritage Centre in Millbrook.
Parker's words were reiterated by band Chief Lawrence Paul, who described the project as a natural fit for his community, which has embraced economic development opportunities such as the Millbrook Power Centre.
"Today's announcement will move our economic agenda forward once again," Paul said. "The investment today will have benefits for our community and all people of Nova Scotia for years to come. For too long our dependence on fossil fuels ... has harmed our environment. Today we are taking steps to respect the environment.
"Our culture is built around a profound respect for nature and a commitment to working together as a community. Renewable electricity is a 21st century expression of these values."
The project will see three turbines constructed that will generate a combined total of six megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 1,500 homes.
The optimistic plan is have the turbines operational sometime in 2013, although that could stretch into 2014, said a representative of Community Wind Farms, which is partnering in the project.
The turbines will be located about one kilometer off of reserve lands and each will have a setback of approximately 1.5 kilometres from any residence.
The project is expected to cost about $7 million and could generate upwards of 80 jobs during the construction process.
For Truro Bible Hill MLA Lenore Zann, who was also in attendance for the announcement, the band's involvement also speaks to the type of growing community commitments to renewable energy projects that are taking place throughout the province.
"This means that more communities across Nova Scotia and more non-profit groups really are showing their commitment to renewable clean alternative energy initiatives," she said, "which is to the benefit of their communities and I would say for the benefit of the province, our country and the world and Mother Nature."
The province is committed to having 25 per cent of energy needs provided through renewable sources by 2015 and and 40 per cent by 2020.
COMFIT provides eligible groups with an established price per kilowatt hour for projects producing electricity from renewable resources such as wind, biomass, in-stream tidal and run-of-the-river tidal developments.
The rate guaranteed to the band is 13.1 cents per kilowatt hours.
Because of the project's size, an environmental assessment, a Communities, Culture and Heritage Archaelogical Resource Impact Assessment and a Mi'kmaq Ecological Study must all be conducted, along with continued engagement with the surrounding community, before the project proceeds.
http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2012-02-10/article-2892801/Millbrook-granted-approval-to-construct-wind-turbines/1
Green Super Slime A Potential Solution To Greenhouse Gases
At a federal lab here on the windy shores of Nova Scotia, the hunt is on for super slime.
Algae plucked from creeks and ponds as far away as Alberta's oil patch and southern Ontario's industrial corridor are turning flasks of water bright green as scientists search for promising candidates.
The faster the organisms suck up carbon dioxide, the better, as John McDougall, president of the National Research Council, envisions big things for the lowly microbes.
McDougall is a long-time and unabashed promoter of using algae to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and has lobbied for years to get government to invest in a pilot project.
Now, McDougall, who was appointed president of the National Research Council in 2010, is focusing some of the council's considerable resources on making the algae grow-op a reality.
Carbon-catching algae have been chosen as one of four "flagship" projects at the council, which has of budget of almost $1 billion and 4,000 staff across Canada.
"The idea behind a flagship," said McDougall, "is to do something really important that would be substantial in scale and make a real difference to Canada if you could pull it off."
Redirecting carbon dioxide away from smokestacks is clearly important, he said, and "something that Canada is going to have to get its mind around."
And algae, he said, have the potential to take a sizeable bite out of this country's emissions and gobble up millions of tonnes of emissions a year.
"If it works, you're looking perhaps at as much as 15 to 20 per cent of carbon dioxide could be dealt with," said McDougall. He also sees international opportunities, noting Canadian algae-growing technology and know-how could be exported.
McDougall said there are challenges with mass-producing "super slime," as the fast-growing algae are described in one NRC report.
But the benefits are potentially "so enormous that it is worth spending a little money to find out," McDougall said in a recent interview, suggesting it could take $50 to $100 million to find out if using algae is a viable way to capture carbon.
McDougall said there could be all kinds of possible applications.
Carbon-hungry algae systems could be bolted on the "the back end" of existing power stations, oil sand operations, smelters, fertilizer and cement plants across Canada. "Anything that has a big smokestack," he said.
The idea, he said, is to get algae to suck up carbon dioxide, and generate oils, proteins and compounds that could be used for everything from biofuels to animal feed to cosmetics.
David Layzell, executive director of the Energy and Environmental Systems Group at the University of Calgary, doesn't buy it.
"I would argue that Canada wasn't dealt the cards you need to win in the bio-algae game," said Layzell. He said Canada's climate and cold, dark winters are not conducive to growing algae on a massive scale.
Nor does Layzell see algae making much of a dent in Canada's CO2 emissions, which are sure to attract negative attention at the UN-led climate talks that start in South Africa on Nov 28.
"If you are really interested in climate change," said Layzell, "I can give you much better things to do with the money."
Canada's carbon dioxide emissions are widely seen as a problem — and an international embarrassment — but McDougall said he prefers to see them as an opportunity.
"CO2 is the biggest unused natural resource in Canada," he said, referring to the 690 million tonnes Canada pumps into the atmosphere each year. The emissions make Canadians among the highest per capita CO2 emitters on the planet.
McDougall said the "epiphany " came several years ago when he said: "Hey, you know, what we've got is a big resource, we're producing it, it is coming out of the pipe every day, why don't we do something with it?"
McDougall championed using algae to capture CO2 when he was head of the Alberta Research Council and also as chair of Innoventures Canada, or I-CAN, a non-for profit consortium of technical organizations that work to commercialize research.
He even drank the green stuff as part of one I-CAN event t o promote using algae to "fast-track Mother Nature's own greenhouse gas recycling process" and make "value-added products."
McDougall is still a director of I-Can, and unnamed bloggers said he may be in a conflict of interest by promoting one of the group's pet projects now that he is president of NRC, the country's top science shop.
McDougall disagrees. I-CAN is non-profit, public interest organization "just trying to figure out how to work together for the benefit of the country," he said. "So there is no sort of personal benefit, or really even organizational benefit."
McDougall also noted NRC scientists suggested using algae to capture CO2 when asked for possible flagship projects.
The idea struck a receptive chord and McDougall and council officials chose CO2-ingesting algae as one of four NRC flagships this spring, along with high-output wheat, printable electronics and composite materials from biomass.
NRC researcher Patrick McGinn opened a fridge in the council's Institute for Marine Biosciences in Ketch Harbour where the "seed stock" for the algae flagship is being nurtured.
The test tubes, flasks and petri dishes contain algae that have been plucked from water samples from across the country, many of them from Ontario and Alberta, where they may eventually be put back to work.
McGinn, an algae specialist, said it might be more fitting to call the strains weeds, rather than super slime.
"Robust, hardy weeds," he said, explaining the algae will need to be tough enough to survive in industries sending huge volumes of CO2 up their smokestacks.
"We don't want strains that are killed by flue gas, we want ones that thrive under it," he said.
Algae are simple organisms that occur in an incredible variety of shapes and sizes in nature.
McGinn, who has been studying algae for years, says some strains take up carbon dioxide four to five times better than of their neighbours. The most promising ones can be coaxed to make so much oil that it accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of their weight and they begin to resemble little sacs of oil.
The team now has about 100 strains in their collection and is aiming to add another 100.
The algae are being put to the test in bioreactors, known as "brite boxes," and an elaborate system of illuminated, and very green, tubes on the main floor of the Ketch Harbour facility.
The algae are fed a diet of "simulated" smokestack gas and waste water that is trucked to the seaside lab from the community of Bedford, about 35 kilometres away.
Algae are the stuff of pond scum, but the organisms grown here tend to end up as dark green powder.
NRC researcher Patrick McGinn pulled out a bucket full of one of the research team's "favorite strains" that's been harvested and dried.
The algae transformed the CO2 and wastewater into "basically an energy source," said McGinn. Oil extracted from the algae can be turned into biofuel, possibly even jet fuel, while leftover proteins and carbohydrates can be used such as feed, fertilizer and additives.
The algae show their potential here in Ketch Harbour. But the lab that is at the heart of NRC flagship grows just 15 to 20 kilograms of algae a month, McGinn said.
That is plenty for the experiments the NRC is running with industrial and academic partners across the country, but negligible compared to the millions of tonnes of algae it would take to reduce Canada's CO2 emissions.
McDougall said he is satisfied the concept of using algae is scientifically sound. Now, he said, it "warrants a good hard look" to see if algal systems can soak up CO2 in the real world "hour after hour, day after day, week after week," on a sustained and economical basis.
Details have not been announced, but he said he expects to see "$20 to $30 million" invested in a demonstration project that would get Canada into the international bio-algae race.
Algae have some distinct advantages over biofuel crops such as corn and canola. They don't require farmland and convert sunlight to oil much faster than plants, which spend a lot of time and energy growing leaves and roots.
But algae also have some disadvantages, said Layzell, noting how algae need far more nitrogen and other nutrients than plants or trees. "And nitrogen fertilizer is very expensive," he said, and generates large amounts of CO2 when it is made.
McGinn said one way around the problem is to grow algae in municipal wastewater. It contains nitrogen and phosphorus than can be harmful when released into the environment, but act like fertilizer boosting algal growth. McGinn said CO2 to feed the algae could be pumped in from near-by industrial sources.
While far more upbeat about algae biofuels than Layzell, McGinn said the challenges of mass-producing algae using CO2 heading up smokestacks are "quite daunting."
For starters, algae can only take up CO2 so fast.
"Even the best strains have their limits, you can't force feed them," he said, noting that too much CO2 acidifies water and can be toxic to the organisms.
To avoid this problem, he said one of NRC's industrial partners is devising a technique for controlling how much CO2 is fed into algal growth systems.
Cold dark icy winters are another problem.
McGinn said it might be possible to grow algae year-round using covered or insulated ponds, or bioreactors, that could be kept warm with waste heat from industry.
There is also talk of optimizing sunlight by using mirrors to concentrate and direct the light onto algal cultures during the dark winter months.
The Canadian climate is, however, not all bad.
McGinn and McDougall said many algae tend to prefer Canadian summers to the extreme heat seen in hotter parts of the world. "It's too hot for them, just like it's too hot for us," said McDougall. "So they take siestas."
Even so, Layzell said the southern U.S., Mexico and tropical parts of the world are more hospitable to the burgeoning algae biofuel industry.
"The question is: Is this an area where we can compete," said Layzell, who specializes in assessing energy systems. He said he would argue "no" because the infrastructure and operating costs of growing bio-algae in Canada will put the country at a "competitive disadvantage" compared to warmer places.
"We don't have the climate," he said. Canadian algae systems would have to either shut down or be housed inside in the winter, he said. And the organisms might need to be fed sugars to make it through long winter nights. On top of that, he said, nutrients would have to be recycled to keep fertilizer costs down, and steps would have to be taken to keep harmful bacteria and unwanted strains of algae out of the growth chambers.
There is also debate about how good algae biofuel would be for the environment, he said, pointing to studies that suggest algae biofuel might be no more beneficial than driving around on regular gasoline.
Layzell said Canadians need to start thinking more strategically of how best to use the country's vast land mass and biological resources to generate new forms of clean energy. He said a more promising prospect than algae might be to breed fast-growing trees, and devise the technology to turn the wood into liquid fuel or, better yet, convert it into electricity.
"What we need is something that will grow under really nasty environmental conditions, when the country's frozen for five months of the year," said Layzell.
mmunro@postmedia.com
http://www.canada.com/technology/Green+super+slime+potential+solution+greenhouse+gases/5777816/story.html#ixzz1fyIylLae
COMMUNITY FEED-IN TARIFF PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
September 20, 2011--On the first day of applications more than 60 project proposals were received from more than a dozen community groups for a unique, made-in-Nova Scotia initiative to encourage community participation in renewable energy projects.
The Community-Based Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) concept was introduced in the 2010 Renewable Electricity Plan to help reduce green-house gas emissions, provide a secure supply of clean energy at stable prices and create jobs. The program began accepting applications Monday.
"It's exciting to see this kind of response for these community green energy projects," said Energy Minister Charlie Parker. "These projects will reduce our dependence on coal and get communities involved in innovative partnerships and opportunities. It allows for broader participation in renewable energy, resulting in projects that benefit, and are rooted, in communities."
Almost 100 community projects are registered with the department from a variety of eligible groups. All projects must pre-registered to be checked for eligibility.
COMFIT allows eligible groups to receive an established price per kilowatt hour (kWh) for projects producing electricity from certain renewable resources. The feed-in tariff rates were established by the Utilities and Review Board in September.
Projects can include wind, biomass, in-stream tidal and run-of-the river tidal developments. Eligible groups include municipalities, First Nations, co-operatives and not-for-profit groups.
Hundreds of interested parties have attended information sessions across the province, or participated in an online seminar.
The COMFIT program will help the province reach its aggressive renewable electricity targets of 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015 and 40 per cent by 2020. The province expects 100 megawatts to be produced through the COMFIT.
http://gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20110920008
FARMERS LEARN ABOUT CONVERTING GRASS INTO FUEL
September 13, 2011--Farmers from across Atlantic Canada gathered in Truro, N.S., on Tuesday to learn about converting grass into fuel.
The technology is based on converting marginal grassland and unwanted hay into pellets that can be burned in wood or pellet stoves or furnaces.
Gus Swanson, a Pictou County farmer and inventor, created a furnace to burn hay pellets.
He said he came up with the idea several years ago when the price of oil went up.
"I had a farm with 400 acres of hay on it. We knew we could burn it if it's made into pellets so I thought I had it made back then but oil dropped down over the years," Swanson said, laughing.
"It's cheaper and it's on the farm in your own backyard. For farmers it would be ideal. My interest in it is, get the farmers' fields back into production and get jobs for the rural areas."
Swanson now heats a three-bedroom apartment, a two-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom house with hay pellets for about $300 a month. He was previously spending $900 a month when he used oil to heat the properties.
Swanson is working on the project with a furnace maker in Pictou, a company that makes pellet machines in Cape Breton and government scientists at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.
Kenny Corscadden, one of the scientists at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, said while the province doesn't have the best land for food growth, grass has the potential to make money.
"It certainly grows in abundance. We have a lot of marginal lands in Nova Scotia and there's great potential for grass to be grown here. It's a crop that grows every year," said Corscadden.
CBC"One good application is to use hay that isn't suitable for a food stock and turn it into an energy crop."
Corscadden estimates it will take about 8,100 square metres of grass to heat a home for a year.
"One of the key benefits would either be to keep land from going into disuse or to bring it back into use," he said.
"That's another nice benefit of grass, it doesn't have to compete with a food crop. We don't use grass for any other source, really, in the food chain so it won't compete with that land that's been used for food production."
Scientists estimate up to 100,000 homes could be heated with locally-grown grass if farmers show enough interest in using their fields to produce biomass fuels.
"Farmers need a market for their crops so they're not going to start growing crops until there's an outlet for that so it's getting everyone together at the same time … to try and get everyone talking and on the same page," said Corscadden.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/09/13/ns-grass-pellets-heat.html
Algal Biofuel Research Draws Attention From Governor General
Governor General tours NRC research facility in Nova Scotia
Ketch Harbour, Nova Scotia -- (Marketwire - June 1, 2011)
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will observe how Canadian researchers in Nova Scotia are discovering alternative ways to produce renewable energy, while reducing Canada's carbon footprint. For the past 50 years, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has been growing algae in sea water at the Marine Research Station in Nova Scotia. Researchers there are now examining the potential for algae to become a renewable source of energy that benefits Canada's environment and economy. During the tour of the Marine Research Station, His Excellency will take a first-hand look at innovative research dedicated to growing, processing and testing microscopic algae for use as biofuel. Research under the National Bioproducts Program has demonstrated that certain strains of algae can produce oil yields that are many times greater than traditional agricultural crops like wheat and corn. This oil can then be refined to produce renewable biofuel. Algae require no arable land to grow and therefore do not compete with Canadian food production. What's more, algae need large amounts of carbon dioxide. This gives biofuel from algae a two-fold advantage over fossil fuels: not only is algae a renewable source of energy, but production of algal biofuel may also be used to recycle greenhouse gases from industrial sources. His Excellency will observe algae growing in photo-bioreactors called "Biofences" and in NRC-designed "Brite-Boxes". The oil-rich algae harvest solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic carbon in the form of vegetable oils, which can eventually be processed and converted into fuel products like biodiesel or bio-jet fuels. Clearly, algae have huge commercial potential, if researchers can determine a cost-effective way to produce fuel from this abundant marine resource. "The need for biofuels to replace fossil fuels is well recognized," said NRC algae researcher Dr. Stephen O'Leary. "Biofuels research and development in Canada and abroad is driven by environmental concerns and the need for energy security." The potential of an algal production industry has drawn international attention. In June 2011, the 4th Congress of the International Society for Applied Phycology will draw world experts on algal production to Halifax to explore potential commercial applications. These will include carbon capture; biofuel production; human and animal health; cosmeceutical and nutraceutical applications. The Congress will be co-chaired by Dr. O'Leary, who leads one of the marine algae projects under the National Bioproducts Program.
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/algal-biofuel-research-draws-attention-from-governor-general-1521192.htm
N.S. oil delivery plan delayed
Inspection change on hold till January
By JOANN ALBERSTAT Business Reporter
Sat, Apr 2 - 4:54 AM
The province has put on hold a plan to make oil companies responsible for performing equipment inspections before they deliver fuel to new customers.
The change was supposed to take effect Friday when the new Technical Safety Act took effect. But the Labour and Advanced Education Department recently delayed implementing the measure until Jan. 1, 2012, because of an outcry from discount oil companies.
Steve Williams, president of Affordable Fuels Ltd., said he first heard about the impending inspection requirement two weeks ago from someone else in the industry.
"It would have been the worst April Fool’s Day joke ever, in my opinion," Williams said in an interview Friday. "I’ve picked up six or seven new customers today alone. There would have been seven individuals who would not have been able to get oil from me today if this (regulation) had been in place."
Inspections will be required under a new law that updates safety regulations for businesses and tradespeople working with boilers, pressure vessels and fuel burning appliances. Updated regulations for other industries will be phased in over the next 1½ years.
The new rule that’s on hold would require oil companies that get a fuel order from a new customer to inspect the tank, line and exhaust systems before making a delivery. The furnace and hot water heater would also have to be checked out first.
And as the rules stand now, customers who buy fuel from more than one oil company would be required to have an inspection done by each firm.
Williams said he supports making the industry safer but doesn’t think his Beechville, Halifax County, firm should have to shoulder the liability or cost of inspections. The Affordable Fuels president said the proposed change would force him to hire extra staff or pay a fuel burner company to do inspections.
"What they’re looking for right now, technically, is not even covered underneath what our insurance companies will allow us to do."
The change might also leave customers out in the cold if they’re trying to find a company to make an emergency oil delivery, Williams said.
Despite the concerns, the Labour and Advanced Education Department says fuel inspections are needed to improve safety.
"This particular lack of inspection has been around for a significant period of time," said Dave Wigmore, the department’s director of building, fire and technical safety.
Most large oil companies already conduct inspections when signing up new customers but the department has heard concerns that not all companies do, he said. In particular, concerns have been raised by discount oil companies and the Canadian Oil Heat Association.
As a result, the province has delayed implementing the inspection plan until it consults with the industry.
"What we’re going to do is wait for the end of the current heating season. Then we’ll be sitting with the oil industry players to talk about what a program could look like," Wigmore said.
Williams said he’s happy to get the reprieve and hopes fuel discounters can convince the province to come up with a better inspection plan.
"If you buy oil from me for 25 years, you don’t have to get an inspection done," he said. "If you buy oil from someone new, you’ve got to get an inspection done. If everybody out there never changes company, we don’t actually inspect anything. How is that making the industry safer?"
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1236344.html
Website to Foster Energy Savings for Municipalities
By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau
Sat, Mar 26 - 5:55 AM
BRIDGEWATER — A new web¬site that will help Nova Scotia municipalities lower energy costs and their impact on the envi¬ronment was unveiled Friday by Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau.
The website, called Dollars and Sense, was developed in conjunc¬tion with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities and is available at www.sustainability¬unsm.
ca. The site features Bridgewater as a town that has cut fuel costs by reducing pollution, and Belli¬veau hopes its story will inspire others.
Leon de Vreede, the town’s sustainability planner, said he estimates measures recently taken by the town have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 300 tonnes and saved taxpayers $50,000 a year. This was ac¬complished through a variety of ways such as installing solar panels on the town office and energy efficient lights in the rink.
“This is just the beginning," de Vreede said.
The municipality will spend the next year evaluating the performance of its new tech¬nologies, he said.
“Energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability are priorities for Bridgewater town council and for staff," said Mayor Carroll Publicover.
The town could not have car¬ried out its initiatives and the website wouldn’t have come into existence without funding from the province’s ecoNova Scotia fund, Publicover said.
Union president Billy Joe Mac-Lean said municipalities account for 44 per cent of the province’s greenhouse gas emissions, so they are crucial to reducing them.
Municipalities are also the most able to spur residents to act because local government is closest to the citizenry, he said.
Belliveau also announced $300,000 Friday to help ABCO Industries Ltd. of Lunenburg build and market its trademark sewage filtering trucks.
The trucks use new technology to remove only the solids from septic systems, which reduces the amount of material that has to be hauled away for treatment ABCO president John Meisner said.
Having less to haul has result¬ed in a 75 to 80 per cent reduc¬tion in the number of trips a truck has to make to a sewage treatment plan, which saves time, fuel and money, he said.
Chester and the Municipality of Antigonish use the trucks, which cost about $500,000 to build, and the company is deliv¬ering one to Trinidad in two weeks, Meisner said.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/9020316.html
Developers seeing green in grass fuel concept
By BRUCE ERSKINE Business Reporter
Thu, Mar 3 - 4:54 AM
Grass fuel may be green, but it needs some help to catch fire, says Orville Pulsifer of Grapell Bioenergy Ltd. in Truro. "It’s a chicken and egg situation," he said in an interview Wednesday. Grapell is part of a small coalition of companies trying to launch a grass fuel pellet industry in the Maritimes that it claims could heat as many as 40,000 Nova Scotia homes by burning processed hay and other grasses. The other coalition members are LST Energy of Pictou, which is testing a prototype grass pellet furnace at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro, and Sobenco Engineering of Prince Edward Island, which has developed a grass pellet production line. Pulsifer said there are about 40,000 hectares of underutilized fields in Nova Scotia that could be used to grow grasses that can be converted into low-emission, renewable energy-producing pellets. While he’s convinced of the fuel’s potential, Pulsifer said there are a number of challenges that have to be addressed before it is realized. They include sourcing adequate raw material supplies, producing quality pellets, manufacturing furnaces and convincing consumers of the long-term viability of the technology. "There aren’t enough (furnaces) in operation to create a market at this time," he said. Pulsifer said government needs to do more to support the initiative, a message the consortium delivered to the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources in Halifax this week. "These days, if government is not involved, the banks won’t get involved," he said. Pulsifer said his group isn’t looking for government funding but suggested that the province could convert some of its buildings to grass fuel to demonstrate its effectiveness. "It would save money and decrease greenhouse gas emissions," he said. His group has had discussions with the province about the concept, Pulsifer said. "They’ve studied it. But there comes a point where you have to jump-start the thing." Nancy Rondeaux, a policy analyst with Nova Scotia’s Energy Department, said Wednesday the province is "interested in the possibilities" of grass fuel. She said the departments of agriculture and transportation-infrastructure renewal are looking at putting a grass-fired boiler in a provincial building. A decision is expected soon.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1231017.html
N.S. eyes venture capital fund
Privately run scheme would boost green technology in region
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Tue, Nov 9
The provincial government wants to set up a venture capital fund for green technology and science entrepreneurs in the region. Nova Scotia is looking to form a privately operated venture capital fund targeting clean technology companies in Atlantic Canada, Premier Darrell Dexter announced at the Power of Green Conference in Halifax on Monday.
The province is willing to start the fund with part of its $30-million investment in the Nova Scotia First Fund made last year. The venture capital fund will invest in knowledge-based companies that have potential to grow but do not have the cash flow to secure financing from traditional lenders, Dexter told about 240 delegates at the conference. He said the fund will support startup renewable energy, information technology and life sciences companies that struggle to find financing money. "Once they have gone through the development phase and get into the question of production, there seems to be more money available at that stage in the process. It’s at the very early stages where they are having the majority of the difficulties," Dexter told reporters after the announcement.
He said he will raise the topic of starting up the fund later this month at an Atlantic premiers meeting.
After the fund is established, it will raise money from the private sector and other institutional investors, as recommended in Donald Savoie’s report about economic development in Nova Scotia. "One of the impediments to innovation in Atlantic Canada, specifically Nova Scotia, is the lack of access to venture capital," said Dexter. Robert Orr, co-founder of Ocean Nutrition Canada, said venture capital funding is essential to make products a commercial success. "Emerging Nova Scotia companies have always suffered from limited access to venture capital, and I commend the province for acting as the catalyst for this fund," said Orr in a news release. Ben Forcier, vice-president of investment at Innovacorp, said there are not a lot of institutional investors in venture capital funds.
"The creation of such a fund, the provincial commitment, would bring other investors to the table and raise anywhere between $20 million to $50 million to set up the fund." Besides the province investing, other provinces in the region may contribute, along with institutional investors and federal Crown corporations that have a specific mandate to invest in early-stage venture capital funds, he said.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1211013.html
Premier Promotes Clean Energy Opportunities in Boston
Premier Darrell Dexter returned today, Nov. 5, from the U.S.-Canada Energy Trade and Technology Conference in Boston where he found significant interest in Nova Scotia's clean reliable energy opportunities. "The northeastern United States is Nova Scotia's most significant export market, said Premier Dexter. "This conference was an opportunity to build on New England's growing interest in our clean energy, which means good jobs and more investment in the province." Premier Dexter gave the keynote speech at the energy conference. It is only the second time a premier has addressed the group. "This is a major event in the energy sector in North America, drawing more than 200 industry and government leaders," Premier Dexter said. "As the premier, I make it a priority to seize every opportunity to get the message out about our vast potential to create clean, reliable energy for our province, and beyond."
On the first day of the conference, the premier participated with Nova Scotia business leaders in the conference's first executive forum on clean energy. Scott Travers, president of Minas Basin Pulp and Power, Reuben Burge, president of RMSenergy, and Robin McAdam, executive vice- president of sustainability for Nova Scotia Power, spoke to a packed room about the exciting opportunities available in Nova Scotia's renewable energy sector. Minas Basin made history in 2008 when the company was awarded the responsibility of building North America's first tidal demonstration facility C Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy helping to promote Nova Scotia as a world leader in tidal power. "By connecting the vast natural resource found in the tides of the Bay of Fundy with the impressive human resources in Nova Scotia, we developed a facility of which we can all be proud, and one that will advance tidal energy in North America," said Mr. Travers. "Perhaps of most importance is the fact that we also have a government that wants to make it work, and has created a clear regulatory process to follow." While in Boston, Premier Dexter had several business development meetings, and also met with Pat Binns, Canada's Consul General in Boston. Some of the issues highlighted at the conference, including energy and the environment, will also be discussed at the 35th annual New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers meeting in Halifax July 10-12.
http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20101105010
N.S. offers housewarming gift
Energy-efficient homes qualify for rebates of $3,000 to $7,000
Buyers of new energy-efficient homes can qualify for thousands in new rebates from the province, giving consumers a chance to offset the Dexter government’s sales tax hike, says one builder. Under the program, homes that achieve an Energuide rating of at least 83 qualify for a rebate, ranging from $3,000 to $7,000, Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks announced Tuesday morning. Estabrooks, the minister responsible for Conserve Nova Scotia, said benefits of energy-efficient homes include lower energy costs and greenhouse emissions. He said the rebate program should also create jobs by encouraging more new home construction. "Quality materials and extra attention to detail do increase the cost of energy-efficient homes," Estabrooks said at a news conference in Dartmouth. "But when all of the homeowner’s monthly costs, including principle, interest, taxes, and energy are added together, an energy-efficient home can actually cost you less to own."
The program is limited to 1,200 buyers. The province has budgeted $4 million, which works out to an average rebate of $3,333. The rebate for a rating of 83 and 84 is $3,000, from 85-87, it’s $5,000, and at 88 or higher, it’s $7,000. The PerformancePlus program replaces the Energuide for New Homes program, which was introduced in 2007. The previous program’s rebates topped out at $1,250, and a home qualified with an Energuide rating of 80. Estabrooks said the province had to step up with Ottawa shutting down its home energy-efficiency incentives earlier this year. Ottawa’s program didn’t include new homes, but it did require an evaluation by an energy auditor, and that business has slowed down considerably. Antigonish homebuilder Gerry Connolly said he thinks the new program will be good for business. "With the increase in the HST to 15 per cent, we needed some kind of a stimulus in the home-building industry," said Connelly, owner of Enerscope Turnkey Homes.
The province put its share of the tax up two percentage points on July 1. Connolly said he issued a flurry of invoices in June to beat the tax. He noted the new rebates could offset the tax increase. The tax on a $200,000 new home is now $4,000 more than it would have been before July 1. The difference on a $300,000 home is $6,000. However, a buyer also faces the increased cost of getting the home to the 83-rating threshold. Connolly said many new homes would already have a rating of about 80, and the cost of adding a few more points wouldn’t be exorbitant. He said it would take a little more insulation, more detailed air-sealing, and the main issue likely would be installing an alternative heating system like a heat pump, rather than an oil-fired furnace or electric baseboard heat. Connolly estimated the additional costs would be in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. "People would do that, I think, if they thought they were going to get a rebate," he said. Other rebates include $200 for homes that are ready for a solar hot water system, and $1,000 if the solar equipment is installed. It’s the second program for buyers of new homes that the NDP has started since forming government in June 2009. The other program was a 50 per cent rebate on the provincial portion of the HST. That program, limited to 1,500 homebuyers, ended earlier this year, with 1,469 people getting the rebate.
( djackson@herald.ca)
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