Greenhouse Canada

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B.C. recommends local CHP guidelines

May 3, 2013  By Brandi Cowen


Under the recommended guidelines, all CHP engines would have to be fuelled by natural gas. (Courtesy of IPAA.org.)

British Columbia’s Ministry of Agriculture has published a discussion paper to guide local governments in regulating combined heat and power (CHP) generation at greenhouses in the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

The discussion paper builds on a draft paper published in December 2011. The draft served as a basis for further discussion with local governments and the greenhouse sector, ultimately leading to the current discussion paper’s findings.

 

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“B.C. greenhouse growers have seen their competitors successfully implement cogeneration at facilities around the world and now wonder if they can take advantage of similar technology adoption here in B.C.,” the paper reads. “British Columbia’s energy policy and pricing has hindered the uptake of cogeneration in B.C. compared to other jurisdictions around the world.”

 

The paper encourages local governments to incorporate the following criteria into their bylaws governing greenhouse CHP operations:

  • The CHP engine must be fuelled by natural gas
  • The CHP must be sized to be commensurate with the heat demand of the farm operation
  • THe CHP capacity must not exceed 1.0 MW/ha of land in greenhouse crop production on the farm operation. A CHP engine with a capacity up to 1.5 MW/ha is permitted if high intensity lighting (greater than 10,000 lux) is used in the greenhouse
  • The CHP must operate with an efficiency of at least 80 per cent
  • The farm unit must have capacity to store excess heat generated by the CHP for beneficial use by the greenhouse

Click here to read the full discussion paper.


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