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B.C. invests in energy-efficient improvements at Windset Farms

Changes to a Delta greenhouse will help grow vegetables using about half the amount of natural gas to heat the facility, lowering its carbon footprint, increasing its energy efficiency and supporting a clean economy.

“By working together with B.C. growers, we’re investing in more sustainable ways to produce local food that decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, reduce pollution and support good jobs for people,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “This project will significantly reduce natural gas used to heat greenhouse-grown vegetables, save on energy costs and help build our economic recovery from COVID-19.”

The province is contributing $355,000 toward energy-efficiency improvements at Windset Farms in Delta through the CleanBC Industry Fund.

“It is important to the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association and its members to do all they can to use energy efficiently and sustainably, while continuing to grow safe and nutritious vegetables. This thermal curtain project at Windset Farms is true to those goals and will also help support B.C.’s goals for CleanBC; a pathway to a more prosperous, balanced and sustainable future,” says Linda Delli Santi, executive director of the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association.

The project will install a retractable thermal curtain at one of the company’s greenhouses to trap heat in low-light conditions during cloudy days and at night.

“Growers in B.C.’s food industry are leading the way forward on climate change by investing in cleaner operations that increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions and sustain good jobs for people,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture. “This project is an excellent example of B.C. growers working with government to provide sustainable solutions for a market that is increasingly looking for high-quality products with a lower carbon impact.”

The partnership with Windset Farms is expected to reduce nearly 26,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next decade. This is roughly the same as taking more than 9,000 cars off the road for a year.

“At Windset Farms, sustainability is an important part of our business growing healthy, nutritious food for people,” said Steve Newell, president and CEO, Windset Farms. “By investing in new energy-efficient technologies, we’re reducing our impact on the environment, saving on energy costs and creating new low-carbon opportunities thanks to funding through CleanBC.”

CleanBC was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.

“Energy efficiency has long been the unsung hero of climate solutions. And while it’s paramount that we shift to clean sources of energy, for the energy we do use — clean or otherwise — we must use it less wastefully. Energy efficiency projects, such as this clean tech installation in Delta, have important work to do as we bend another important curve—our emissions in B.C,” says Merran Smith, co-chair of B.C.’s Climate Solutions Council, and executive director of Clean Energy Canada.

Quick Facts:

• The Windset Farms project is part of the CleanBC Industry Fund, which uses carbon tax revenues paid by industry to fund emission reduction projects around the province.
• To be eligible for funding, applicants must have emissions over 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and be a reporting facility under the Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act.
• Successful CleanBC Industry Fund projects have been chosen based on a competitive process and an evaluation of detailed project plans, business cases and the potential to cost-effectively reduce emissions.

To learn more about the CleanBC Industry Fund and other approved projects, visit: www.cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/industryfund

To learn more about CleanBC, visit: www.cleanbc.gov.bc.ca