On Aug 30, 2014, at 9:20 AM, Irene Weiser wrote: > Does anyone know more about life-cycle energy costs of pellet production? Do > you think it is a viable/advisable fuel source "for now"?
Wood pellets are a byproduct of lumber production -- the sawmills make them out of their waste sawdust. The life-cycle cost is wonderful up to the point where the demand goes above what the sawmill produces in waste. But if the waste sawdust supply runs out, then you have to add the cost of grinding up wood into the life-cycle calculation. That's horribly inefficient when you could just burn it as is. As far as I know, right now wood pellets simply become unavailable if the demand is too high. So it's advisable to buy a whole year's supply in the summer, and keep extra on hand in case we get a winter like this past one. - Marty For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
