School showcasing new sustainable biomass heating system

Nipissing University’s Biomass Innovation Centre (BIC) will host a celebratory public event on Friday, March 21, at the South Shore Education Centre in the Township of Nipissing for the commissioning of the school’s sustainable biomass heating system.

The school is one of over 150 schools in Ontario to pilot a range of innovative green products and technologies through the Green Schools Pilot Initiative. The program is a $20 million joint investment by the Ministry of Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Education.

The sustainable biomass heating system covers the buildings' normal heating requirements with propane boilers as a backup under extreme conditions. Wood pellets, made from waste wood from sustainably-managed forests in northern Ontario, serve to fuel the system. The system is carbon neutral as carbon emissions are captured and sequestered in new tree growth. As a result, the system does not contribute to climate change.

“This is a great step in the development of the northern bioeconomy, where carbon-intensive fossil fuels are displaced by renewable and sustainable waste-to-energy solutions,” said Dawn Lambe, project manager of BIC.  “I’m pleased the system does not contribute to climate change and spurs economic development in the north.”

The event will begin at 11 a.m. with words from Jay Aspin, MP (Nipissing-Timiskaming), Victor Fedeli, MPP (Nipissing), Pat Haufe (Mayor, Township of Nipissing), Sandi Johnson (Principal, South Shore Education Centre), and Harald Prell (General Manager, Viessmann), followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with students, teachers and the local community.

Attendees will then have the opportunity to view artwork and science projects prepared by the students and take a tour of the biomass heating system.