As environmental awareness has increased, the focus on biomass energy production has also increased. The most popular forms of renewable energy sources are the sun and wind. However, there has recently been an increased interest in the use of wood pellets for biomass energy. As the global demand for wood-pellets is expected to double in the next few years companies such as BC’s Canfor Corp. have been investing into the market by constructing new pellet mills.
Using wood pellets for biomass energy is sustainable as they are composed of sawdust and wood waste. Forestry companies in the interior of BC already direct almost all of their sawdust and wood waste into pellet production. Not only does this production benefit the company as they are able to make revenue off of materials that would have otherwise gone to waste, but global communities also benefit, as they are able increase their renewable energy use. Currently, Europe and Asia are scrambling to convert to wood pellet fuels in order to meet their greenhouse-gas emission reduction targets. As companies such as Canfor Corp. invest into building additional pellet mills they are able to better supply this demand and convert more of their waste into sustainable energy. This proves that the new trend of using wood-pellets for fuel not only makes BC’s forestry industry a bigger business but also gives many BC forestry companies the opportunity to create shared value.
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