Eco-friendly schools

This fall, kids going back to school will be learning a lot about a certain colour: green.  In many places in Ontario, kids will be starting their day by climbing onto green buses.

They’re still yellow, don’t worry all you traditionalists.  But inside, they’re actually “green.”

Student Transportation of Canada (STC) has announced plans to increase their fleet of “green” buses to 900 biofueled vehicles. Already a leader in biofuel transportation, STC is intent on reducing their carbon emissions and shrinking their carbon footprints.

The green doesn’t stop once the children get to school.

In some lucky places, the kids are greeted upon their arrival with school gardens designed by Evergreen, a non-profit organization. They help create a garden that is both attractive for play, but also teaches them about plant growth and food production.

In Hamilton, a design for a new Catholic school will include solar panels, a green roof, rain-water toilets, outdoor classroom, and light systems that self-adjust based on the amount of sun. It will be the only LEED-certified school in the area.

Apart from the prestigious LEED-status, the Seeds Foundation has been recognizing schools for their green efforts for 30 years. Schools are rewarded for taking on projects as simple as recycling in the classroom, and litter clean-up days.

Designations are based on the number of projects completed, from Green status for 100 projects, to Earth School status with 1000 projects, and beyond.

With everyday exposure to things like recycling, awareness of greenhouse gas, and environmental clubs, students walk away with the tools to make smart and Earth-friendly decisions later on.

Eco-friendly Ottawa

Ottawa, being the capital, naturally aspires to being a leader among Canadian cities.

Good leadership means not just being a good role model, but also the first to try new ideas and pave the way for greener possibilities. With the addition of a bike-share program, and the country’s first ever Ethanol gas station, they’re doing just that.

The Public Bike System has two stations in downtown Ottawa, and two in Gatineau, sharing a total of 50 bikes for its trial launch period. In the future, they hope to have as many as 500 bikes available for users in the National Capital Region.

A $3 user fee applies.  Users swipe their credit cards, and are given a code to unlock a bike. The first half hour is free, but to encourage a quick turnaround, additional charges apply after 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for one month, ethanol will be offered at a Shell station on Merivale road. It’s actually blend of 1/10 ethanol and 9/10 regular gas, and will not cost extra. This may seem like a small change, but for its developer, Iogen, it’s a milestone.

Since the ‘70s, Iogen has been working on a cellulostic biofuel. That means it uses plant material – husks and stalks rather then the edible corn itself – thereby not affecting food sources. Based in Ottawa, local farmers supply Iogen the material.

Is it working? Many government vehicles already use Iogen’s locally produced ethanol, in mixes as great as 85 per cent ethanol. That said, both the bikes and the ethanol are trial versions. They’ll determine public interest and ascertain feasibility.

However, with good consumer response, they may return in full force.

Ethanol regulations

There are 12 ethanol producers in Canada spanning the country from the Prairie Provinces to Quebec. Doesn’t sound like very many, does it? Maybe not, but these companies are responsible for the production of 1390 million litres a year (MMly) of ethanol. 

From the corn-based ethanol plants in Ontario to the wheat and corn plants in the Prairies, the diversity of raw material reflects the availability of local materials. The smallest of the country’s producers, the Iogen Corporation located in Ottawa produces a mere 2 MMly. The country’s largest producer of ethanol is GreenField, whose four plants in Ontario and Quebec produce a total of 496 MMly. 

Why is this important? 

Recent government regulations are requiring refiners to include at least 5 per cent ethanol in their gasoline by September 2010. This 5-per-cent increase would create a market for approximately two billion litres of ethanol annually, a substantially higher volume than what Canada is currently churning out. 

Building new plants and creating jobs sounds great, but there’s a catch: ethanol can be as ‘dirty’ as gasoline. The biofuel industry has been highly controversial because deforestation and increased land cultivation are causing increased greenhouse gas emissions. 

All Canadian producers use natural gas in their production process, which cause fewer emissions than coal-fired ethanol, which actually creates 34 per cent more emissions per gallon of fuel than gasoline producers over a 30-year period. 

The Canadian government claims that grain-based biofuels can reduce emissions by 40 per cent compared to gasoline. But Natural Resources Canada’s calculations do not include indirect land use emissions. 

Over the longer term, as the one-time impacts of greater land cultivation fade, it is estimated that corn ethanol using natural gas will produce 16 per cent fewer emissions than gasoline. 

So is it worth it? Only time will tell.

Potato biofuel

Ah, the noble potato. Famous for feeding the Irish, as the perfect complement to hamburgers, and a word Vice President Dan Quayle couldn’t spell. 

Now, it may assume another aspect of fame – as fuel. You’ve heard of PEI’s Cavendish Farms – it’s one of the continent’s largest French fry producers. Recently, Cavendish officially opened a new biogas plant at its main potato processing plant. There’s nothing revolutionary here. The process is relatively simple. The plant will take waste from the production of fries – water and solid – and compost it. That’s it. The composting process creates energy, which will be used at the plant. 

That may not sound like a big deal, but it adds up in a hurry – and we’re talking about quite a lot of potatoes. When fully operational, the biofuel plant will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35 per cent. 

Potatoes are potentially a lucrative source of biofuel. Corn has been the biofuel crop of choice, for two reasons. First, it’s energy-rich; and second, corn is abundant. However, as biofuel gained in popularity, it created a problem: a lack of corn to actually eat. 

Two years ago, a study at North Carolina State University found an alternative: potatoes. Specifically, the researchers thought sweet potatoes most promising, but “regular” potatoes – like the ones they turn into French fries – are no less viable.

The natural place to start, of course, is a potato processing plant.

Going bananas for biofuel…peeling away at sustainability

What is yellow on the inside and green on the outside? A banana dressed up as a cucumber.

That may be a lame joke, but these days bananas really are dressing up green. Rotting banana skins are the latest additions to the growing list of raw sources for biofuel.

The banana biofuel has been most successful in countries across Africa where bananas are commonly grown and where cheaper alternate fuel sources are essential for survival, leaving no room for monkeying around.

According to scientists, every ton of bananas produces approximately ten tons of waste, made up of skins, leaves and stems.

Waste not, want not. The skins and leaves are now being mashed into a pulp, and then mixed with saw dust. The banana skins act like a glue, effectively binding the other materials together. Formed by hand or moulded into a brick using a press, the liquid can be squeezed out, producing an entirely different type of banana bread.

After two weeks baking in the sun, the briquettes become dried fuel that can be lit, used for heat or to make a cup of tea.

Other attempts at creating fuel sources in Africa have never succeeded since they were either too expensive or did not take local needs into consideration.

This simple and accessible solution may reduce wood consumption as a primary energy source, helping deforestation concerns in banana-producing countries like Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi.

As you can imagine, everyone is going bananas over the idea.

Algae air

Did the Wright Brothers ever picture a future where we would be flying around in jets fuelled by seaweed? Probably not.

One of the very first test flights using a 50 percent blend of algae biofuel to power a Continental Boeing 737-800 proved that anything is possible. Just like the Wright Brothers first flight, this was also an innovation.

Not only was it the first flight by a U.S. carrier to use an alternative fuel source, but it was also the first in the world to use a twin-engine commercial aircraft to test a biofuel blend. A series of tests was conducted during the 90-minute flight and the airplane passed with flying colours. Airlines hope to be using biofuels by the year 2014.

But is algae a viable alternative? Absolutely.

Work is being done to create algae farms that will produce thousands of gallons of biofuel at a rate that exceeds current biofuel projects. Solix Biofuels in Colorado, for example, has raised $15.5 million in capital and will soon begin with a five-acre plot to produce “biocrude.’’ That will in turn be shipped to an oil refinery in place of crude oil.

So far, soybeans have so been the main source of biodiesel in the United States and yield about 50 to 70 gallons per acre. Solix has already achieved production of 1,500 gallons an acre of algae per year, with expected yields of 2,500 to 3,000 gallons an acre per year.

Soon, travellers everywhere could be flying the friendly skies…with seaweed.

Beetlejuice

The mountain pine beetle has been ravaging the pine forests in B.C. since the mid-1990s, leaving behind an estimated 1 billion tons of dead trees and a forestry industry in dire need of rescue.

When life gives you beetle-killed dead trees, make biofuel.

The reasoning is simple – the dead trees can be converted into oil through a carbon-neutral process, producing biofuel. The process is expensive and until now has only been done on a small scale, but the technology and potential is there.

One ton of wood can produce about one barrel of oil – which means that B.C. could produce one billion barrels of oil just from trees that are already dead.

Little known fact: Trees have a shelf life of three years before they are considered useless as lumber. But they can be used as fuel for up to 10 years. In fact, trees are actually worth more as energy.

One ton of air-dried wood contains 16 gigajoules of energy, which is the equivalent of about 400 litres of oil. This means that B.C.’s dead trees are worth $128 a ton. Compare that to the roughly $80 a ton for which wood pellets sell, and it means that the pine beetle hasn’t eaten away all the profits. It’s just changed the industry a bit.

Even as wood pellets, B.C. has a resource with a potential export value of $80-billion. But as fuel, the potential profits could nearly double. If oil prices return to $150 U.S. a barrel, a billion tons of dead trees would produce oil worth $150-billion.

Profits from this fuel source would be pouring in faster than you can say ‘Beetlejuice.‘

Image: Dion Manastyrski, Ministry of Forests, southern Interior Forest Region

Biofuel sources are getting a little fishy

If fish lived on land, which country would they live in? Finland.

Jokes aside, Finland is looking at ways to turn fish waste products into fuel. Biofuel. Finland’s Technical Research Centre and a Vietnamese seafood producer recently launched a three-year project to turn fish waste into biodiesel.

It turns out fish waste is a good feedstock for biofuel. Companies and local governments in Canada, Alaska, Honduras and other places have been experimenting with fish-based biodiesel for years. A few commercial enterprises are even using and selling it profitably. And it may come as no surprise to those who remember that before petroleum, whale oil was used for light and heat. So using waste oil for fuel is resourceful since one kilogram of fish waste equals one litre of biodiesel.

Fish waste, if not processed immediately, degrades rapidly and quickly loses its value. Dumped into the sea in high concentrations, the waste can also disrupt marine ecosystems, so finding sustainable uses for it is just plain smart.

Most of the activity in fish biodiesel has been centered in Alaska and Canada, where isolated coastal cities provide fish oil which is the most abundant feedstock for biodiesel. But in a market which consumes 5 million litres of diesel daily, the Vietnamese are quickly seeing the value of casting this particular line.

So if fish keep their money in the river bank, these days, inventive companies are banking their money with fish waste.

Energy in Canada #1

A STRONG PARTNERSHIP
Canada is the largest, safest and most secure supplier of energy to the United States. From supplying natural gas to developing fuel cell technology, Canada is vital to ensuring North America’s energy security.  Read More

THE HYDROGEN HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Canadian researchers are world leaders in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. This innovation is being shared with our southern neighbour through various government and private partnerships.  Read More

CAPTURING CARBON TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
Through the Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership, 80 U.S. and Canadian stakeholders are working together to make carbon dioxide capture and storage a viable option for combating climate change.  Read More  In 2008 the Centre for Energy in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted the ninth cross-border forum on energy issues. Seventy-five participants, including academics, policy makers and industry representatives assessed the importance of carbon capture and storage to Canada and the United States in developing resources and addressing climate change. The Centre for Energy sat down with the seven panelists who led the discussion at the forum. The interviews give listeners a technical, environmental and social perspective on carbon capture and storage. Listen In

POWERING A NATION
In 2007, Canada exported over $3.1 billion in electricity to the United States. An increasing portion of this electrical energy is being sourced from renewable sources, such as hydropower and wind power. Read More

FROM FOOD TO FUEL
Producers on both sides of the border are exploring the many sources of and uses for bioenergy. In 2008, Canada had 16 ethanol plants and four biodiesel plants operating or under construction, with a total capacity of 1.9 billion litres per year. Read More

Groundhogs predict, but can they change… climate?

One day after North American groundhogs predicted six more weeks of winter (or not), we are reminded by media reports that, really, it’s all “a pack of lies”.

In less civilized circles, one might suggest the famous woodchucks are full of *ahem* manure.

But in the race to produce new, viable alternative energies, being full of it might just be the solution. Could groundhog dung be the biofuel future?

According to the Toronto Zoo: yes, poo is the answer. 

To be more exact, the Toronto Zoo has a plan to build a plant that will convert animal and food waste into biogas using bacteria. The biogas, in turn, will fuel electricity production—electricity that will be sold back to the grid and pay for the $13 million facility over five years.

So how much dung can 5,000 animals produce? Enough to make this green endeavour worth the investment. Zoo curator David Ireland says “this stuff is gold.”

But, back to groundhogs and woodchucks, it seems there is an untapped feces opportunity. They’ve been predicting climate for years; maybe it’s time the fluffy forecasters break into biofuels and help in the fight against climate change.

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