Status and potential of energy biomass in Canada

Current practices in biomass utilization are surveyed, including some recent developments with non-wood biomass such as peat. Estimates of the energy from wood residues, agricultural residues, waste, peat and energy crops and the technologies available to utilize these resources are reviewed. The review indicates that the contribution of biomass to the Canadian energy supply could be increased three or more fold. In reviewing experiences of other countries six common factors for the growth of energy production from biomass have been identified: (1) favourable energy policies to open the market to biomass projects, (2) support from local authorities to exploit local biomass resources, (3) access to a large, low-cost supply of biomass, (4) taking advantage of existing infrastructure for biomass handling and transport, (5) competition for equipment and feedstock to induce technical innovation and improvement, and (6) growth in the bioenergy market to reduce cost and increase productivity through economies of scale. 8 refs., 2 tabs