Heat New Glasgow

10/08/2025

Earlier this year, TorchLight released a report outlining a Local Energy Strategy for Nova Scotia centered around community scale biomass heat and power plants and district heat networks (like the Heat New Glasgow project) that would compliment plans for electrification and wind power development.

With the recent focus on domestic resource development, increasing exports and improving affordability, this is feeling very timely. Share widely!

https://torchlightbioresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/LocalEnergyNS_TorchLight_202502_Final.pdf

Tim Houston

03/18/2025

The idea of "Carbon Debt" is a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees (pun intended!).

Learn why Carbon Debt does not exist in sustainably-managed forests in this week's episode of Dr. Jam.

Hint: Don't forget about the remaining trees. Think at scale!

Many potential bioenergy projects have been shelved because of concerns about so-called Carbon Debt. Dr. Jam explains why the concept of Carbon Debt is based...

03/07/2025

This week, Dr. Jam visits Nokian Tyres, known globally as a leader in winter performance. But I bet you didn’t know these tires are made using process steam from biomass!

Tires are Nova Scotia's second largest export and are currently made with process steam from imported fossil fuels. Learning from Nokian, switching to biomass would boost the local economy and reduce reliance on imports. In light of the trade situation, let’s focus on local resources for local, low-carbon manufacturing!

Biomass, such as wood chips, can be used to provide process heat for sustainable, affordable manufacturing. In this episode, Dr. Jam visits the primary manuf...

03/07/2025

This week, Dr. Jam visits Nokian Tyres, known globally as a leader in winter performance. But I bet you didn’t know these tires are made using process steam from biomass!

Tires are Nova Scotia's second largest export and are currently made with process steam from imported fossil fuels. Learning from Nokian, switching to biomass would boost the local economy and reduce reliance on imports. In light of the trade situation, let’s focus on local resources for local, low-carbon manufacturing!

Biomass, such as wood chips, can be used to provide process heat for sustainable, affordable manufacturing. In this episode, Dr. Jam visits the primary manuf...

02/26/2025

How can burning trees be low carbon?

Is biomass really carbon neutral?

Check out this week's Jam if you want to understand how burning wood for industrial process heat or heating cities, via district energy, is low carbon despite all the stack CO2 emissions.

How can burning trees possibly be low carbon? Think there is a forest biomass carbon accounting error? Or maybe that bioenergy is carbon neutral? What does t...

02/20/2025

Dr. Jam in Latvia!

This week, Dr. Jam visits Jelgava, Latvia to tour the country’s largest biomass combined heat and power plant. In the process, he learns why Jelgava is the ‘City of Statues’ and how it has been able to keep its historical character while implementing modern energy systems.

All fossil fuels used for heating in Nova Scotia are imported and all natural gas come from the U.S. Why buy from a hostile neighbour? We don’t need to. Learn from Latvia. Latvia knows about having a large, unpredictable, hostile neighbour that seeks to dominate it. Latvia was 100% dependent on Russian gas in 2021 but outlawed Russian gas imports starting in January 2023. Domestic forest biomass has played a central role in abandoning natural gas, with large-scale district heating systems used to distribute the thermal energy.

Take the tour with Dr. Jam!

Join Dr. Jam as he visits Jelgava, home to Latvia's largest biomass combined heat and power plant. Latvia was 100% dependent upon natural gas imports from Ru...