Forests to fuel could slash electricity problems

Bioenergy Association NZ

A wasted opportunity is passing New Zealand by to make the most of damaging forest slash by failing to treat it as an energy solution, instead regarding it as a headache, says Bioenergy Association executive officer Brian Cox.

“While slash lays rotting in forests it costs communities in terms of flood damage, but as fuel it could slice household electricity bills.  It’s known that energy from forest residue sells at about $16 a gigajoule (GJ), under half the cost of heat from electricity at $36/GJ.”

A gigajoule as a measure of heat energy and 1GJ is capable of heating 25-50 homes for a year. One house in NZ uses about 36 GJ a year.

“Slash can keep boilers running and lights on without having to inflate power prices, reserving electricity for critical uses,” says Cox.

Pricing slash as an energy resource will help create incentives to clear debris before it wreaks havoc on communities. There are also projects underway including Scion’s Biowave marine biofuel project, to turn forest waste into fuels. “With some planning and pricing, biomass could supply 27% of the nation’s energy by 2050,” says Cox.

Removing more slash for income generation through power generation also provides upside for foresters’ operations.  “It means planters have better access to sites, with a more easily improved stocked area and better forest regeneration is possible.  Minimising slash piles reduces fire risk and spontaneous combustion hazards on skid sites.”

He says this winter has proven to be one of serious discontent within New Zealand’s energy industry as the nation digests news that its gas supplies are running perilously low.  “We have the shortage resulting in Methanex and Ballance Agri having to reduce their business activity. That has a sharp impact upon the people they employ and the region they operate in.  Meantime, electricity prices continue to rise.”

Bringing the two issues together provides a solution beneficial for all of New Zealand, both households and businesses. “Using forest biomass to produce energy can free up electricity and natural gas for other higher value uses. Gas supply can also be boosted by using food waste to produce biogas, diversifying our sources and supply, as we have already seen being done by Ecogas in Reporoa.”

Cox said without a biogas strategy New Zealand risks seeing the worst of both worlds. “That is, even more business closures due to energy costs, and flooding damage continuing from forestry.”