UKTC Archive

Re: Alternative extraction/conversion etc

Subject: Re: Alternative extraction/conversion etc
From: benfuest
Date: Dec 09 2008 16:37:54
Anthony really good info, I am not at all surprised though. Last year hear in the Brecon Beacons we there was a bio mass/wood fuel get together thing in a field with lot of reps from boiler companies with lots of info on boiler performance, all very credible. But like I said supply chain is every thing and personally I don't think the infrastructure is there or indeed the timber product to convert. The subject pushes the right buttons and there are people out there trying to fund Unimogs at 60k plus chippers and trailers in the hope of procuring contracts to fulfil a perceived demand. But where is the crop to harvest ? miles away and it gets further away every year as local supplies dry up.
sometimes I work a local estate feeling and extracting for wood fuel chip, in its second year I think. But give it two more and they will have to start importing from elsewhere, then what happens. 1/4 million pounds worth of kit going rusty. People don¬t like commercial 2m spacing of rapid poplar, but that is what is required to keep it all going. You can go out tomorrow and buy a boiler and a computer to run it, but no amount of money will make the trees grow any faster ----- Original Message ----- From: "anthony mills" <anthony.j.mills@xxxxxx.com> 
To: "UK Tree Care" <uktc@xxxxxx.tree-care.info>
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 3:43 PM
Subject: Re: Alternative extraction/conversion etc


2008/12/9 benfuest <benfuest@xxxxxxxxx.co.uk>
So were all in agreement, we can`t do on the cheep. Fuel wood is and always will be an expensive option that just makes us feel good, nothing wrong with 
that. Having said that there is now in vogue wood fuel for bio mass, and
that is just processed fire wood, Spam. This requires a much more committed 
commercial approach. The supply chain is everything, I think the planting
must be done in such a way as to assist in the harvesting and conversion
process and the storage facility must marry to the hopper for feed to
boiler.
Hello - the NHS Trust I work for installed 3 new wood-pellet fired boilers 
at a hospital in Surrey last March, and we all applauded the change to a
renewable and cheaper fuel.  The price of wood pellet then was about £175
per tonne = 3.5p/Kwh, cheaper than heating oil per Kwh, which went to nearly 
70p per Kwh in July. The price now is close to £250 per tonne or 5p/Kwh
while oil has dropped to 35p per litre or 4.2p/Kwh with scarce supplies and 
very few suppliers of pellet.


Since they use about 7 tonnes a week, the Trust is not happy with these
changes... nor with the prospect of wood becoming even scarcer and more
expensive.
Anthony Mills



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