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De-Risking Wood-Based Bioenergy Development in Remote and Indigenous Communities in Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Buss

    (Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320-122nd Street, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada)

  • Nicolas Mansuy

    (Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320-122nd Street, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada)

  • Sebnem Madrali

    (Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY, 1 Haanel Drive—Building 6 Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1A 1M1, Canada)

Abstract

Remote and Indigenous communities in Canada have a unique opportunity to mobilize the vast amount of wood-based biomass to meet their energy needs, while supporting a local economy, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study realized in collaboration with five remote and Indigenous communities across Canada investigates the main barriers and potential solutions to developing stable and sustainable wood-based bioenergy systems. Our results highlight that despite the differences in available biomass and geographical context, these communities face common policy, economic, operational, cultural, social, and environmental risks and barriers to developing bioenergy. The communities identified and ranked the biggest barriers as follows; the high initial investment of bioenergy projects, the logistical and operational challenges of developing a sustainable wood supply chain in remote locations, and the limited opportunities for community leadership of bioenergy projects. Environmental risks have been ranked as the least important by all the communities, except for the communities in Manitoba, which ranked it as the second most important risk. However, all the communities agreed that climate change is the main environmental driver disturbing the wood-based bioenergy supply chain. To de-risk the wood-based bioenergy system, we suggest that stable and sustainable supply chains can be implemented by restoring community-based resources management supported by local knowledge and workforce. Using local knowledge can also help reduce the impacts caused by biomass harvesting on the ecosystem and avoid competition with traditional land uses. Including positive externalities to cost benefit analysis, when comparing bioenergy systems to existing energy installation, will likely make bioenergy projects more attractive for the community financially. Alternatively, supporting co-learning between partners and among communities can improve knowledge and innovation sharing.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Buss & Nicolas Mansuy & Sebnem Madrali, 2021. "De-Risking Wood-Based Bioenergy Development in Remote and Indigenous Communities in Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:9:p:2603-:d:547990
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nicolas Mansuy & Julie Barrette & Jérôme Laganière & Warren Mabee & David Paré & Shuva Gautam & Evelyne Thiffault & Saeed Ghafghazi, 2018. "Salvage harvesting for bioenergy in Canada: From sustainable and integrated supply chain to climate change mitigation," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(5), September.
    2. Fligg, Robert A. & Robinson, Derek T., 2020. "Reviewing First Nation land management regimes in Canada and exploring their relationship to community well-being," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
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    4. Shabani, Nazanin & Akhtari, Shaghaygh & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2013. "Value chain optimization of forest biomass for bioenergy production: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 299-311.
    5. Vining, Aidan R. & Richards, John, 2016. "Indigenous economic development in Canada: Confronting principal-agent and principal–principal problems to reduce resource rent dissipation," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 358-367.
    6. Mansuy, Nicolas & Thiffault, Evelyne & Lemieux, Sébastien & Manka, Francis & Paré, David & Lebel, Luc, 2015. "Sustainable biomass supply chains from salvage logging of fire-killed stands: A case study for wood pellet production in eastern Canada," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 62-73.
    7. Nicolas Mansuy & Diana Staley & Leila Taheriazad, 2020. "Woody Biomass Mobilization for Bioenergy in a Constrained Landscape: A Case Study from Cold Lake First Nations in Alberta, Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
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    1. McMaster, R. & Noble, B. & Poelzer, G., 2024. "Assessing local capacity for community appropriate sustainable energy transitions in northern and remote Indigenous communities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski & Paweł Dudziec & Ewelina Olba-Zięty & Paweł Stachowicz & Michał Krzyżaniak, 2022. "Forest Dendromass as Energy Feedstock: Diversity of Properties and Composition Depending on Systematic Genus and Organ," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-60, February.
    3. Vikas Menghwani & Rory Wheat & Bobbie Balicki & Greg Poelzer & Bram Noble & Nicolas Mansuy, 2023. "Bioenergy for Community Energy Security in Canada: Challenges in the Business Ecosystem," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Vikas Menghwani & Chad Walker & Tim Kalke & Bram Noble & Greg Poelzer, 2022. "Harvesting Local Energy: A Case Study of Community-Led Bioenergy Development in Galena, Alaska," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-17, June.

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