Adopting On-Farm AD

Renewable Energy Workshop Highlights Need for Regulatory Change

Technology surpassing regulation seems to be one of the leading causes for lack of on-farm Anaerobic Digestion facilities in B.C.

Vancouver, BC –On May 14, 2009, roughly 80 attendees, including municipal and provincial government employees, as well as industry representatives gathered in a brainstorming workshop session aimed at finding ways to facilitate the adoption of on-farm anaerobic digesters in B.C.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the process where organic waste is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. This process results in the production of biogas, a renewable, carbon-neutral fuel that can generate electricity, heat and/or a natural gas substitute known as ‘biomethane’.

Suitable for most organic waste streams (including agricultural, industrial and municipal), and due to its multiple benefits, on-farm AD is used throughout Europe and North America. These benefits include reduced on and off‐farm greenhouse gas emissions, odour, nutrient runoff and organics deposited in landfills. AD adoption also provides rural economic stimulation and diversified agricultural revenue streams while improving animal health, food safety and security.

However, despite these benefits and unlike in other Canadian provinces and countries, there are no on-farm AD facilities in B.C. This is due to B.C.’s low energy prices, an ineffectual renewable energy feed-in-tariff, challenges related to grid interconnection, and uncertainty faced by project developers in obtaining regulatory approvals from multiple agencies.

During the workshop, speakers from ministries and agencies relevant to the permitting process gave their views on what would need to happen in order to satisfy their permitting needs. These included the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, B.C. Ministry of Environment, Agriculture Lands Commission, and from the Municipal level, the City of Abbotsford.

David Dunn, Manager of Renewable Project Development, from the Central Vermont Public Service, a Vermont-based power producer, spoke about his experience with developing a program called Cow Power, where consumers pay a premium in order to use electricity produced by AD on dairy farms in Vermont. In addition to making the adoption of the technology financially feasible, consumers can use the reduction of their carbon footprint to market their product whilst proudly supporting their local farming community.

Mohsen Keyvani, Senior program coordinator of the Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch from Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, spoke about the work that has been done in Ontario to substitute a case-by-case permitting process for a regulation specifically catered to on-farm anaerobic digestion. “It was not a short process, but in the end we feel that we came up with a good process that enables on-farm AD while ensuring that adequate controls are in place,” said Keyvani.

In B.C., current regulations do not perceive energy production as a normal farm practice. Without this and other fundamental changes to current regulations, we won’t be seeing digesters pop up in B.C. any time soon. However, AD advocates hope that the benefits of AD technology, such as odour reduction and greenhouse gas mitigation, will encourage the ALC, municipalities and ministries to develop a more enabling regulatory framework for on-farm AD than is the case today.

“There seems to be a lack of public awareness for the benefits AD technologies can provide on farms. Without fully understanding the pros and cons of this technology, it is easy to dismiss, or be reluctant to approve an application that comes forward to the council” said Peter Andzans, Community Sustainability Manager for the City of Abbotsford.

The goal of this workshop was to gather interested parties and regulatory agencies together to provide an overview of AD, an update on progress in B.C. to date, and to have an open discussion on the current regulatory process. By providing a greater understanding of the technology and the current regulatory framework, the organizers hoped to enable an open and insightful discussion on determining appropriate actions to foster the widespread and sustainable adoption of on-farm AD.

The workshop was organized by the Anaerobic Digestion Initiative Advisory Committee, an industry-government-agency group that was formed in late 2008 for the purpose of facilitating the exchange of AD-related information among its representatives, and to work towards streamlining processes pertinent to the development of an AD industry in B.C.

During the workshop, ADIAC launched its website,www.bcfarmbiogas.ca which is the first of its kind in B.C. The website will house all relevant information on Anaerobic Digestion for farmers, project proponents and the general public.

AD Info