Canada – SFU anticipates that the new $33 million Corix biomass facility will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from heating by 80%.
The GHG saved is equivalent to the emissions from 900 homes every year.
Slashing GHG emissions
SFU leads the way in sustainability by reducing direct emissions from operations as well as indirect emissions from energy purchased GHG emissions, with one of the smallest GHG footprints of any university in Canada.
“This facility will allow SFU to achieve 97 per cent of the province’s 2050 greenhouse gas target, making SFU a leader within the Canadian public sector in reducing GHG emissions,” says Larry Waddell, chief facilities officer, SFU.
Wood waste becomes power source
Instead of utilizing natural gas to heat SFU’s campus, the fully operating biomass facility on South Campus Road at SFU Burnaby converts clean wood waste, which was previously intended for landfills, into a low-carbon energy source. The plant now serves the majority of SFU Burnaby and around half of the UniverCity neighborhood with heat and hot water.
Shift to renewables
The biomass plant will assist SFU in meeting the sustainability goals outlined in the university’s five-year sustainability plan. The SFU 2025 Sustainability plan, which was launched in 2020, is aligned with the United Nations goal of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. It includes 16 targets to reduce the university’s carbon footprint, including reducing GHG emissions by half and shifting half of the university’s energy use to renewable sources by 2025.
