Wood Pellets Are Big Business

[Acadian Pellets]

Interesting article on the wood pellet manufacturing business, It’s a good time to be in the American wood pellet business.

Read Link below,

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzell...ts-are-big-business-and-for-some-a-big-worry/

Stay Warm

 

[Johnny_Fiv3]

How about they worry about domestic demand first, then export for $$ later. The wood comes from OUR woodlands, damn it we get first dibs.

 

[SKOAL MAN]

How about they worry about domestic demand first, then export for $$ later. The wood comes from OUR woodlands, damn it we get first dibs.

Just like all the oil and electricity my country produces that goes south! Lol

 

[Johnny_Fiv3]

Whoa whoa whoa. First off Canadians don't count like that. You guys are actually GOOD neighbors. You get that oil back in the form of processed fuels. We just happen to have the refineries. Yes, your power plants, especially your nukes, send us a good amount of power. I work in the nuke field and know we get some juice from our friendly neighbors up north.

One thing I don't see is too many Canadian made wood pellets down here...you guys seem to hold onto them instead of exporting. So there

 

[Acadian Pellets]

Instead of building the Keystone pipeline, We should build the wood pellet pipeline LOL

 

[bogieb]

Whoa whoa whoa. First off Canadians don't count like that. You guys are actually GOOD neighbors. You get that oil back in the form of processed fuels. We just happen to have the refineries. Yes, your power plants, especially your nukes, send us a good amount of power. I work in the nuke field and know we get some juice from our friendly neighbors up north.

One thing I don't see is too many Canadian made wood pellets down here...you guys seem to hold onto them instead of exporting. So there

I've been buying Canadian FSU's all winter. Best pellets I've burned so far.

 

[Johnny_Fiv3]

How is it you can get them and I can't?! I'm right across the damned lake! LOL!

 

[HP52NOVA]

Well, boohoo to that! They are exporting to EU for more $$$, which in process is creating a shortage here - spiking our prices up, so now they can sell the pellets for even more $$$.

No one really cares about the environment - all they care about is their wallets. Nothing changes.

 

[Pete Zahria]

I've been buying Canadian FSU's all winter. Best pellets I've burned so far.

It's good that some areas are not having the same issues we are..

But Johnny fiv3 is pretty close... for our area.
The only stuff we sell is Canadian.... and we are getting extremely slow deliveries...
Just can't get it like in the past...
We just hope that it doesn't get as bad as the end of last season,
although it already looks like it may..
This past weekend was really busy..
Many people saying they can't find pellets.
Next week other places may be flush. Maybe we will be.
Doubtful.
But that is the problem.
There is no consistency in the delivery process.
Can be one week, or five..
Hard to keep telling people "maybe Tuesday..".... Maybe Wednesday...
They hear blah, blah, blah....
so do we.... trust me.

 

[Acadian Pellets]

It's good that some areas are not having the same issues we are..

But Johnny fiv3 is pretty close... for our area.
The only stuff we sell is Canadian.... and we are getting extremely slow deliveries...
Just can't get it like in the past...
We just hope that it doesn't get as bad as the end of last season,
although it already looks like it may..
This past weekend was really busy..
Many people saying they can't find pellets.
Next week other places may be flush. Maybe we will be.
Doubtful.
But that is the problem.
There is no consistency in the delivery process.
Can be one week, or five..
Hard to keep telling people "maybe Tuesday..".... Maybe Wednesday...
They hear blah, blah, blah....
so do we.... trust me.

And it going to be tougher with Europe wanting to buy all our wood pellets.

 

[SKOAL MAN]

Can't wait for biomass pellets to take off! There is so much switchgrass in my area, a pellet boiler might actually be cost effective!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Interesting article and if even 50 percent true, domestic pellet shortages will be commonplace/

You can pelletize just about any biomass from hammermilled corn stalks to wheat straw to off grade hay. All it takes is the equipment and therein is the rub. A commercial hammermill, pelletizer, associated drying machinery, product storage and bagging operation, costs millions of dollars so it's not a backyard operation.

Nothing is free.

Glad I have a true multifuel stove. Corn is just as good as and sometimes better than pellets to roast.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I guess maybe the Chinese built backyard peletizers will gain traction in this country now. They look to me to be pretty cobbly and breakdown prone.

Not sure but there is one domestic company (broken link removed) that offers a small pelletizer but it too may be of oriental descent.

 

[SmokeEater]

I guess maybe the Chinese built backyard peletizers will gain traction in this country now. They look to me to be pretty cobbly and breakdown prone.

Not sure but there is one domestic company (broken link removed) that offers a small pelletizer but it too may be of oriental descent.

I tried to get to the link, (broken link removed), but couldn't get it to come up on my browser.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Instead of building the Keystone pipeline, We should build the wood pellet pipeline LOL

I would hate to be the guy who has to clear *that* auger jam!

 

[Lake Girl]

One thing I don't see is too many Canadian made wood pellets down here...you guys seem to hold onto them instead of exporting. So there

Okanagan, Pinnacle, LaCrete, Spruce PointesTrebio, Marwood Cozy comfort, Crabbe, Eastern Embers, LG Granules - I'm sure there is more

 

[bogieb]

How is it you can get them and I can't?! I'm right across the damned lake! LOL!

Because I'm right across the land border - no boat needed. Just truck it a hundred miles or so. Been getting it at HD - haven't seen it anywhere else.

 

[JustWood]

Well, boohoo to that! They are exporting to EU for more $$$, which in process is creating a shortage here - spiking our prices up, so now they can sell the pellets for even more $$$.

Domestic and export pellets are 2 different animals . They don't price compete.

 

[Squirrel]

A US company is setting up to produce 445,000 tonnes of pellets a year in Ontario Canada - All for export to Europe.

 

[Old Spartan]

A US company is setting up to produce 445,000 tonnes of pellets a year in Ontario Canada - All for export to Europe.

Investment Capital knows no National boundary.

 

[Lake Girl]

A US company is setting up to produce 445,000 tonnes of pellets a year in Ontario Canada - All for export to Europe.

What part of Ontario? Can't remember if I've heard about this one yet...

 

[SidecarFlip]

I tried to get to the link, (broken link removed), but couldn't get it to come up on my browser.

Excuse me. It's (broken link removed) They are in Berne, Indiana and not only produce pellet mills, but complete portable plants.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Domestic and export pellets are 2 different animals . They don't price compete.

What exactly is the difference (except price per ton with the export pellets being higher than the domestic ones?) I want to know...

All made in the same ring extruders, from the same feedstock. The export pellets don't require a bagging line because the ship in bulk (in a cargo ship hold (so that eliminates some cost and machinery).... Note, in Europe, residential pellets are delibered in bulk, via a truck and air pumped into residential storage bins.

So no, they don't 'price compete/. The export pellets bring more per ton because the labor and machine cost is less. Thats a no brainer for pellet producers who are in business to make money, not be charitable.

I can see where domestic pellet shortages could be commonplace. Then again, there is only so much feedstock for pellets. That will be the limiting factor in pellet rosuction, not use overseas.

 

[SidecarFlip]

The very fact that it's quite possible to pelletize such things as yard waste and lawn clippings will make units like the Buskirk and the Chinese imports attractive. Someone like me sho can produce yearly, tons of straw can, with the proper equipment, produce pellets to heat all winter with, without relying on a store to have them. Its' still the equipment cost however. The absolutely cheapest hammermill/extruder setup I've seen is almost 5 grand and thats a questionable quality Chinese unit. Thats a lot of jack to make pellets (for an individual homeowner).

 

[Lake Girl]

All made in the same ring extruders,

Depends what the intended use of the pellets is ... residential or industrial? From what I've seen, many of the exports are for power generation (industrial) I have seen mention differences in diameter just within the European residential use. I haven't looked too much at the differences between residential and industrial...