The Neutral Effect of Waste Energy Projects on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

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The Neutral Effect of Waste Energy Projects on
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Peter Sagert,
Cirrus Consultants Biomass Waste Energy
Seminar October 28, 2005
October 28 a.m. ,2005 ver
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Presentation Points

• Definition of a greenhouse gas (GHG)
• GHGs relevant to waste to energy projects
• Climate/emission rationale for neutral effect
• How to obtain a GHG offset credit

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Greenhouse Gas Defined

• Constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and
  anthropogenic, that absorb and re-emit infrared
  radiation
• Only trace constituents of the atmosphere are
  meteorologically significant (nitrogen and oxygen
  make up about 99 of the atmosphere but are
  generally passive meteorologically)

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Relevance of Individual GHGs

• Carbon dioxide, water vapour and ozone are the
  primary, natural GHGs
• Methane and nitrous oxide trace constituents of
  combustion
• Methane and carbon dioxide roughly equal and most
  common constituents of landfill gas
• Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur
  hexafluoride can largely be ignored for waste to
  energy projects

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Primary GHG for Waste Energy Projects

• Carbon dioxide is the key focus
• Ozone not particularly relevant to these projects
• Methane and nitrous oxide trace constituents of
  combustion a residual, at the margin, issue for
  fine tuning a GHG offset application

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GHGs Essential for Maintaining Climate

• GHG effect of the atmosphere blocks ground
  radiation to space
• GHGs raise mean temperature of the ground by
  about 33 oC question of needed GHG level in the
  atmosphere
• Energy surplus in low latitudes and deficit in
  high latitudes is the fundamental cause of the
  general circulation of the atmosphere

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Why is Biomass Combustion Neutral in Terms of
Atmospheric Effect?

• Atmospheric residence time for CO2 is long,
  global warming potential based on 100 years
• No net atmospheric CO2 buildup for biomass used
  sustainably
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  presents this view (e.g., Scientific Technical
  Analysis, 1995, p. 603)

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Some Acceptable Forms of Biomass

• Wood residues from B.C.s sustainable forest
  industry
• Municipal solid waste (MSW)
• Recovered landfill gas from MSW placement
• Enhanced MSW products such as urban wood and
  refuse derived fuel (RDF)

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Options for CO2 Credits

• Participate in utility programs (e.g.,
  Environmental Choice Program-TerraChoice)
• Large Final Emitter (LFE) through Canadian
  Federal and Delegated Provincial Program
• Government of Canadas Offset System for
  Greenhouse Gases most likely option

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Government of Canada Offset Program

• Made in Canada program, not Kyoto compatible
• GHG emission reduction (offset) only tradable in
  Canada
• Canadian government plans to convince other
  nations of merits of Canadian approach
• Corollary international investor cannot
  transfer offset back to home country

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Environment Canada Time Frame

• Intense effort in a short time frame
• September 2005 stakeholder consultation
• October 2005 rule writing
• Early 2006 implementation. For 2006 application,
  credit for all of calendar 2006

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Barriers to Entry Complexity and Cost

• LFE program less complex in terms of calculating
  emissions
• Federal government plans CSA protocols as a way
  to reduce cost barrier to entry
• Aggregation and bundling ways to reduce costs
• Ownership of an aggregated source being addressed
  by federal legal advisors

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Methods of Offset Verification

• Protocol development and approval needed first if
  CSA protocol not prepared
• Full Environment Canada review of application
• Independent verifier review (criminal sanctions
  like tax system preferred by many)

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Uncertainty Issues to be Resolved

• Threshold size of projects required to prove load
  displacement
• Method to address load displacement
• Value, derivation and role of national emission
  intensity factor
• Role of insurance versus some other method to
  address risk

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Conclusions

• Waste to energy projects CO2 neutral
• GHG offsets practical for biomass and waste to
  energy projects
• Province will need to decide if they have a role
  or program is under the Canadian Environmental
  Protection Act, 1999