Smee said:
Will (wood) gasification solve the energy crisis?
After looking at the heat-economy of my wife's elementary school, I am beginning to wonder.
The school burned 6550 gallons of heating oil last year. In a modern 80% efficient wood boiler, I figue that to be about 40 cords. Working up 40 cords into gasifier fuel is not a trivial task. By the time you finish paying for all that labor, you wonder. Maybe on this scale, oil is not such a bad idea after all.
Your correct if the wood fuel is in blocks, although I drive by an old country school every day
with a huge wood boiler out back in the open.
It ran before my time but I have known some who went to
school there and stoked the fire not to mention cutting the wood. No chain saws in those
days----It now sits on a ranch whose current owner went to that school--he now lives in the SW
somewhere and is worth 60-100M. He learned the value of work and applied it well.
But to the point of using wood as a viable fuel for a school I can name several schools
in this area that have converted to wood fuel and have saved the taxpayer a bundle.
The boilers use compressed timber waste, and are very automated.
These schools are in timber producing areas and have a surplus of fuel , 40 cords
is trivial when delivered via semi load in bulk..
Check out Sweden's move towards renewables, specifically wood power to
see the real potential.
It's not the complete answer to the energy quandry but a piece of the solution..Sweden BTW will be all
wood power in less than a decade, including liquids..and they won't be
denuding the forests in the process..keep an open mind.. MM