Feasibility study: utilization of wood pellets as an institutional heat energy source at the University of Northern British Columbia

The three main factors that underpin the project study were: 1) Biofuels and alternative energy are becoming more important parts of the British Columbia energy matrix. 2) In central BC, the mountain pine beetle infestation has led to increased harvesting opportunities for lumber, pulp and paper and wood pellet producing companies. 3) In 2007, the University of Northern British Columbia branded itself as the Green University and introduced six green objectives as part of the process. It was from the intersection of these three facts that an investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of utilizing wood pellet derived heat energy for campus heating and cooling. The first part of this paper was to review and document the existing heating system at UNBC and review the options for selecting, funding, installing and operating a wood pellet biomass system in parallel with the existing natural gas campus heating system. The second part of the paper was an attempt to calculate the approximate cost of a wood pellet biomass energy system suitably sized to fulfill the base load heat requirements of the Prince George UNBC campus. Interviews were conducted with key university personnel, industry and regulatory bodies to ascertain costs. Costs and estimates were then calculated with Natural Resources Canada's RETScreen International Clean Energy Support software and Excel spreadsheets to determine the financial viability of such a project. The analyses showed that wood pellet heat energy is financially feasible as an alternative energy source at UNBC.