Industrial processes currently fuelled by fossil fuels will be required to transition to sustainable, renewable, low-emission sources of energy by 2050.
Biomass wood energy fits this brief, as a zero-emissions renewable fuel, produced from sustainable and plentiful local resources.
In New Zealand, emissions from heat and industrial processes account for around 15% of New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gases. The Productivity Commission’s Low Emissions Economy report found “rising emissions prices will be central to driving emissions-reducing investments in industrial heat processes”. It also recommended the promotion of initiatives to encourage, promote, and support the use of low-emissions energy sources.
EECA have initiated a plan to improve the energy efficiency of using process heat and increase the amount of renewable energy used to supply it. It aims to lower energy-related carbon emissions across New Zealand, improve air quality and demonstrate the cost and benefits of wood-fuelled boilers using local wood resources.
Government support of these types of initiatives, through funding for local authorities or grants to facilitate conversions of heat plant to wood energy could supercharge emissions reduction.