Sunselect Produce Limited (Delta)

Carbon offset funds enabled the greenhouse operator to switch from a natural gas boiler to a biomass boiler to meet the heating needs of an existing commercial greenhouse producing fruits and vegetables. Use of the biomass boiler and heat trapping curtains for most of the facility’s heat requirements reduces annual greenhouse gas emissions relative to the natural gas baseline.

HOW IT WORKS
A biomass boiler burns solid fuels such as wood waste. The heat produced circulates through the boiler tubes raising the water temperature and heating the greenhouse. This process releases no more CO₂e into the air than would be released when the wood fibres decompose naturally. Because the biomass is collected from existing waste streams and displaces new consumption of natural gas, the displaced gas consumption constitutes an additional emissions reduction. The energy curtains are used at night and during overcast conditions to insulate the building. The curtains reduce heat loss as well as the demand for energy to heat the greenhouse.

CARBON OFFSETS MADE IT HAPPEN
Without offset funds the financial payback for this installation would not have been viable and the greenhouse would have continued without insulation and with the use a conventional natural gas heating system. Use of these technologies is not common practice and yields savings in GHG emissions compared to the traditional approach. This project also stands as a model for energy innovation and a switch to a lower carbon future.

OTHER BENEFITS OF THE INSTALLATION
Beyond the direct climate benefits, this installation helps to overcome the primary threat to a viable local food sector in British Columbia: the high level of fossil fuel input generally required for growing food in Canada’s cold climate. In addition to the direct emissions reductions on site, this project makes local food production more feasible, boosts the regional economy and reduces the need to import food from far away.