Alberta Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCEMC) Corporation Awarding C$37.5 Million in Funding for Renewable Energy Projects from Biofuels to Home Generation
16 June 2010
Alberta, Canada’s Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCMEC) Corporation is awarding more than C$37.5 million (US$36.6 million) to five Alberta-based renewable energy projects including waste to biofuels and energy, concentrating solar power, biogas and home generation.
Funding for the CCEMC comes from the Government of Alberta, which collects it from industry. Since 2007, Alberta companies that annually produce more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions are legally required to reduce their greenhouse gas intensity by 12%. One compliance option is to pay into the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund at $15/tonne.
These five Alberta-based projects were selected from a total of 223 submissions received in response to the CCEMC’s initial request for expressions of interest. From all submissions, 16 were selected for funding totalling C$71 million. Other projects receiving funding will be announced later this month. Project proponents must contribute at least half the funds, or one-third if government money is available for the project.
The initial organizations receiving CCEMC funding are:
Enerkem Inc., C$1.8 million (US$1.76 million) for reduction of greenhouse emissions through greening biofuel production and carbon dioxide utilization, from pilot plant to commercialization, in Edmonton. Enerkem’s technology converts residual materials, such as non-recyclable municipal solid waste, into transportation fuels and advanced chemicals. The company currently operates a pilot facility and a commercial-scale plant in Quebec. Enerkem is also developing two commercial projects, one in Edmonton, Alberta and the other in Mississippi.
Through this project, Enerkem and its partners will use waste, such wood and straw, to produce clean biofuels, and will also incorporate carbon dioxide directly in the process, demonstrating the potential for greenhouse gas reductions in biofuels production.
Developing and testing the optimized gasification process for enhanced GHG reductions, with lower carbon dioxide intensity, will prove the market potential for its use in biorefineries. Tests will be conducted at the Advanced Energy Research Facility in Edmonton. The facility is a joint effort between Enerkem, City of Edmonton, and Alberta Innovates. Once the technologies are demonstrated they will be implemented at Enerkem’s commercial waste-to-biofuels facility.
City of Medicine Hat, C$3 million (US$2.9 million), for the Medicine Hat Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Project. Concentrating solar thermal technology can produce heat, power, and chemicals, using energy from the sun while avoiding burning fossil fuel and its cost and air emissions. Solar thermal technology uses reflecting surfaces to focus sunlight for heat generation. These systems can be combined with fossil fuel processes, yielding hybrid energy systems with lower fuel use and air emissions. The purpose of this project is to install such a hybrid energy system at the City of Medicine Hat power plant to evaluate the technology’s potential in Alberta.
ECB Enviro North America Inc., C$8.2 million (US$8 million) for Lethbridge Biogas, Biogas Cogeneration Project. ECB Enviro North America Inc. is a privately owned Alberta corporation formed in 2001 to design, build and operate biogas cogeneration facilities. ECB has developed the Lethbridge Biogas project from 2001 to present, both in-house and through engineering/consulting companies located in Canada and Europe.
Lethbridge Biogas will be a full scale biogas cogeneration project fueled by organics comprised of agricultural manures and food processing wastes. Situated in the County of Lethbridge Rave Industrial Park, Lethbridge Biogas has more than the required amounts of organic “fuel” available within 15 km. Generating electrical and thermal energy through the anaerobic digestion of organics reduces greenhouse gases significantly. Odors are reduced by up to 75% using an innovative biological air treatment system. This facility will be the first to incorporate patented thermal hydrolysis technology approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for the destruction of prions that cause BSE in cattle.
Plasco Alberta Inc., C$10 million (US$9.8 million) for the Plasco Alberta Energy and Waste Conversion Project, in Red Deer County. Plasco Energy Group Inc. (Plasco) is a waste conversion and energy generation company based in Ottawa, Canada. Plasco employs a patented process using plasma arc technology for the conversion of municipal solid waste (MSW) into green power and other valuable products. This technology offers a solution for responsible waste management and environmental protection and creates valuable products from a feedstock otherwise considered problematic.
Plasco Alberta will build, own, and operate a Plasco Waste Conversion and Renewable Energy Facility in partnership with Red Deer County—where the site will be located. The facility will receive, process, and convert MSW delivered by the Central Waste Management Commission (CWMC), a municipal commission that is led by Red Deer County and includes eight other communities in Central Alberta. The facility will deliver renewable baseload power to the local distribution network and reduce greenhouse gases.
Enmax Corporation, C$14.5 million (US$14.1 million), for home generation. ENMAX Corporation is a vertically integrated utility that provides electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, and value-added services to its customers. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The City of Calgary, headquartered in Calgary. ENMAX will deliver 9,000 turnkey home generation solutions to residential consumers across Alberta resulting in significant emissions reductions.
One could say that Alberta has to greeeen its PR with a few low cost greening projects to make us forget that it has one of the highest per capita GHG of the world with 75 tonnes/year or about 3 times Canada's average. Addiction to all form of liquid fuel is something we have to fix. Switching from fossil to Agro or Bio liquid fuel is not sustainable because Earth cannot produce enough feed stocks to satisfy the 1+ B ICE gas guzzlers in operation + other 100 M being introduced every year. The long term solution is total progressive electrification (BEVs ++) preceded by partial electrification (HEVs and BHEVs ++). It is sad to say but a few more Gulf of Mexico disasters could help promote the use of green energies.
Posted by: HarveyD | 16 June 2010 at 05:03 PM
Alberta is slaking the fossil-fuel thirsts of millions of people elsewhere (many of them not even Canadian), and its population shouldn't be considered the emitters of what they dig up for export.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 16 June 2010 at 05:42 PM
$37.5 million. That's probably not even one day's revenue from Fort McMurray. Just outrageous.
Spend $37.5 *billion* on renewable energy, and stop cooking up tar sands, then I'll be impressed.
Posted by: Sean Prophet | 16 June 2010 at 06:48 PM
Sean: I share your sentiment.
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 16 June 2010 at 09:46 PM
E-P:
The same could be said of China where the factories of the world are.
Producing liquid fuel from tar sands is one of the most polluting way of doing it. The NG used in the process could be enough to operate the Canadian vehicle fleet. The amount of fresh water used is enormous and sooner or latter, the local rivers will run dry. The huge tailing (highly polluted) ponds are a real shame and represent an environment potential disaster. Since most of the oil produced and profits are exported, Alberta (and Canada) will have to live with the environmental and health problems for decades long after the electrification of the world fleet.
Posted by: HarveyD | 17 June 2010 at 07:56 AM
Yes, Harvey, that could indeed be said about China. I don't think the rest of the world should be doing that, either. Internalizing the costs of China's emissions would push industry back to the West, which is more energy-efficient.
The fact remains that the accounting is wrong. To show just how wrong, consider a hypothetical example: if Canada created a province which included just the tar sands operations where nobody lives, then the per-capita emissions for that province would be infinite, and Alberta's would be relatively low. The accounting really needs to go to the consumers of the fuel and the goods made with the fuel, wherever they are. Only then will the true picture be visible.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 17 June 2010 at 08:13 PM
A country may chose to do tar sands, palm oil or any other export, it is THEIR choice. Whether it is per capita or any other statistical method, it is pollution and inefficiency that they CHOSE to do. It is not like there is no other way to make a living.
Posted by: SJC | 18 June 2010 at 06:32 AM
E-P: I couldn't agree more. Albertans and Chinese should not carry all the blame for the pollution they create to satisfy others. Sooner or latter, pollution imports and exports will have to be accounted for. However, if we do that, heavy consumers like us would look even much worse. Of course, the majority (of us) would reject any attempt to put pollution where it should really be. In other words, do as I say not as I do.
Posted by: HarveyD | 18 June 2010 at 05:29 PM
Harvey: Just like the song goes, "If I don't do it, somebody else will." Isn't this just an excuse for the status quo to keep making profits while ignoring the moral and ethical imperative to do what's right?
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 18 June 2010 at 07:02 PM
Waiting for a corporation to do what is morally and ethically right is like waiting for you know where to freeze over.
Posted by: SJC | 21 June 2010 at 03:41 PM