Announcing Sun Select Greenhouses
2009-05-19
Sun Select Greenhouses
Harbour Air's second offset project is Sun Select Greenhouses, outside Langley, in Aldergrove, BC. The project was funded together with our guests, working to mitigate emissions. Carbon offsets are provided by Vancouver-based Offsetters. All funds are third-party verified, are invested by Offsetters into renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that would not have taken place without its involvement. Harbour Air is the only airline in North America to also purchase offsets for corporate emissions from paper consumption, lighting, heat, ground transportation and all other operational impacts of the business.
Carbon funds enabled the greenhouse operator to switch from a natural gas to a biomass boiler to meet the heating needs of an existing commercial greenhouse producing fruits and vegetables. Use of the biomass boiler for most of the facility’s heat requirements reduces annual operating emissions relative to the natural gas baseline
How it Works
A biomass boiler burns solid fuels such as wood waste. The heat produced circulates through the boiler tubes raising the water temperature and heating the greenhouse. This process only releases the same amount of CO2e into the air that would be released when the plants decompose naturally. The biomass displaces consumption of natural gas and constitutes an additional emissions reduction.
Carbon Offsets Made it Happen
Without offset funds the financial payback for this installation was not viable and the greenhouse would have continued to use the conventional natural gas heating system. The installation is not common practice and yields savings in GHG emissions from standard practice. This also stands as a model for energy innovation and a switch to a lower carbon future.
Other Benefits of the Installation
Beyond the direct climate benefits, this installation helps to overcome the primary threat to a viable local food sector in British Columbia: the high level of fossil fuel input generally required for growing food in Canada’s cold climate. In addition to the direct emissions reductions on site, we believe that this project makes local food production more viable, boosting the regional economy and reducing the need to import food from far away.
Project Location: Aldergrove, BC, Canada
Project Type: Energy Efficiency (ground-source heat pump)
Standard: ISO + CDM for Additionality
Credits generated per year: ~ 7,200 tCO2e
*Equivalent # of cars removed: 1,319
Verifier: A.D. Williams Engineering Canada Inc.
Project Start: 2004
Technical Longevity: 25+ years