As Canada’s Green University™, UNBC is committed to being a leader in renewable energy thought and practice, a goal identified in the most recent University Plan. We are demonstrating excellence in energy efficiency while providing leadership to communities in the transition to renewable energy sources.

Northern BC is experiencing an industrial renaissance vital to provincial and national prosperity. In response, the University of Northern British Columbia is mobilizing research and education infrastructure, the skills and values of our graduates, and our technology and innovation to ensure the coming boom benefits everyone. Over 600 communities across Canada are dependent on forests and are challenged by issues of economic diversification and sustainability. UNBC's two bioenergy plants have demonstrated how local energy production can be a catalyst for research, teaching, and public education, all critical to the deployment of effective energy systems. The ultimate objective of UNBC's bioenergy and wood innovation program is to serve as a knowledge source for communities that are aiming to diversity their resource-based economics. This project is designed to demonstrate technology for implementation in northern and First Nations communities and utilize biomass in the creation of energy, ultimately assisting communities in the creation of solutions to environmental and economic challenges. 

UNBC's bioenergy project is comprised of two components: a wood pellet system and the biomass gasification system.