WISE Lecture Series: Dr. Julian Cleary, expert in Environmental Life Cycle Assessment

“Forest bioenergy in Ontario: Examining the life cycle impacts and costs of using harvest residue as feedstock for small- and large-scale bioenergy systems”

Forest bioenergy has been touted as an important option for reducing GHG emissions from the energy sector. With its abundant supply of potential feedstock, Ontario has recently embraced this technology option by retrofitting coal-fired power plants to use wood pellets. However, bioenergy can also be produced using smaller scale, combined heat and power systems using local feedstock supplies. This presentation addresses the life cycle impacts and costs of large- and small-scale forest bioenergy systems via an Ontario case study.