UBC’s Dr. Gary Bull on the uses and potential of bioenergy
This episode of The Construction Record podcast (external link) digital media editor Warren Frey interviews The University of British Columbia’s Department of Forest Resources Management professor Gary Bull (external link) about the potential and current use of bioenergy.
What is bioenergy or biomass?
Bioenergy or biomass is the waste product left over after forestry operations, and is finding a second life as wood pellets which can be used to power both large-scale and residential projects.
Bull discusses the innovative uses for wood pellets as an energy source in Europe as well as advancements in British Columbia and the potential to supply Asia with a sustainable, environmentally friendly fuel source rather than its current dependence on coal-fired electricity.
The interview covers
- How is biomass used?
- How does Canada compare to other countries in the adoption of biomass?
- What are the major opportunities for using renewable fuel like pellets at home and around the world?
- As a renewable energy source, how do pellets compare to solar or wind?
- Trees capture carbon, how does the industry address the carbon once the pellets are burned for fuel?
- Can you retrofit old buildings for biomass?
- What is the future of pellets?
