MacGreen Carbon Offsetting: How are Offsetting Dollars Spent?
What are high quality carbon offset projects?
Many types of activities can generate carbon offsets. However, not all projects result in credible reductions in greenhouse gases and some cause other environmental and socio-economical problems. High quality offset projects can reduce emissions while providing sustainability benefits. Purchasing high-quality carbon offsets, such as those from renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects, helps make these projects economically competitive with fossil fuels, and create jobs and know-how for the transition to a sustainable energy economy.
2 Examples of how Offsetters invests offset funds:
1) Ground Source Heat Pump Installations
At various locations around BC including the Semiamhoo House Society and the Deltaview Habilitation Centre, offset funds are used to help public sector operators install ground source heat pumps (GSHP). GSHP’s utilize the renewable heat that is stored below the earth’s surface and converts it into energy. GSHPs consist of a circuit of underground piping outside the facility and a heat pump unit inside. Water mixed with antifreeze circulates through the pipes picking up the natural heat of the earth which is extracted by the heat pump and converted into energy, which can be used to heat or cool a building and provide preheated water.
The system allows facilities to save money on their bills while reducing CO2 emissions and demonstrating leadership in green buildings and building services. A summary of CO2 savings follows:
Ground Source Heat Pumps = 463 tonnes of CO2 saved per year
CO2 Saved since Installation in sample project = 1929 tonnes of CO2
2) Biomass Boiler Installations
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 plant decomposes naturally. Because the biomass is collected from existing waste streams and displaces new consumption of natural gas, the displaced gas consumption constitutes an additional emissions reduction. SunSelect Produce Inc: 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 by 7,500t CO2e relative to the natural gas baseline.
If you have any questions on the MacGreen program, please contact Jonathan Cooper.
Jonathan Cooper
Director of Marketing
Office 604.264.6789
Email jcooper@macrealty.com