Volume 106

Green Heat News
June 2018
Focus on the EPA
"The 2020 ... standard is an example of smart regulation that makes a real difference by challenging an industry to clean up its act. The standard encourages the production of better wood [heaters], and rewards those companies that have made the investments to bolster their competitive edge. Isn’t that what American free enterprise is supposed to be all about?"
4th Wood Stove Design Challenge
As a student at Vermont Technical College, Bill McGrath entered his first technology competition in 1998. Ten years later he built a homemade pellet boiler for his rural Vermont home that heated his home and produced its own electricity so it worked in power outages. Today, he is helping several teams get ready for the 2018 Wood Stove Design Challenge.

West Pennsylvania Power Sustainable Energy Fund will provide funding the 2018 Wood Stove Design Challenge! Existing sponsors are the DOE, Osprey Foundation, NYSERDA, US Forest Service, Masonry Heater Association, HPBA, Lignetics, CSIA, Schott- Robax, NFI, Myren Labs, Catalytic Hearth Association and Testo.










AGH Projects & Activities
Would a $5 million X-Prize award move wood stove innovation faster so that stoves are truly and consistently clean in the hands of ordinary operators? Probably, but is there a big enough market among stove buyers to want a truly clean stove that costs 25% - 50% more? We will showcase transformative stove technologies on the National Mall in November. You can decide if the innovation is here to stay.

Nearly 200 wood and pellet stoves now have actual, verified efficiency listings. The average of non-cat is 71% and the average pellet stove is 74% efficient. Pellet stoves are now up to 87% efficient, higher than cat or hybrid stoves. We urge consumers to buy from companies that are willing to disclose their efficiencies. See which brands are at the top and bottom.

New summer intern
Welcome to our summer intern, Shoshana Rybeck, from Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon. "Clean wood burning energy has been an issue that I’ve approached in my education from many angles, including using GIS mapping tools to understand where wood smoke is most prevalent in Portland and whether it's an Environmental Justice issue.


Focus on Change-outs
California: California air districts are starting to implement programs with the $5 million in state funding, and have some eye-popping elements. First, qualifying for the $3,500 low income award is based on where you live, not your income and is available for most rural areas - see blue and red areas on map to right. Second, pellet stoves are not an eligible technology - only wood, gas and electric stoves, due to a convoluted theory that pellet stoves produce more greenhouse gases that wood, gas or electric stoves.

Utah: Utah will be running one of the largest stove change outs ever. A big question is how much will they give for new wood stoves vs. new pellet and gas stoves?

Ontario: The province of Ontario just launched a major modern wood heating initiative after several years of planning. Four pilot programs are designed to replace old wood stoves and boilers and help families avoid carbon intensive fossil heating fuels to help the province achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals.



Focus on the United Kingdom
Dozens of stories were published in May about big changes in wood stove regulations in the United Kingdom due to excessive wood smoke in many areas. Stricter stove emission regulations, no burn days, bans on selling unseasoned wood and much more is now on the table.

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Focus on Air Quality
It’s become so efficient that Nik Spencer’s invention can heat his entire home. The 48-year-old fills the washing machine sized device with rubbish every night. This can be anything from plastic coffee cups, bottles, food trays, nappies and even grass cuttings. The rubbish is then slowly burned as Nik sleeps, and is converted into a charcoal-like substance.

A health-based case for professionally installed new wood stoves. On the Navajo Nation, there are so many stoves that are so old and decrepit that its a public health scandal in this day and age.


Focus on Policy
"Biomass—trees, woody shrubs and annual crops—can be used to produce fuels for many different purposes, including pellets for home heating, liquid transportation biofuels and electric power generation. Converting biomass to energy can be good for the environment but conversion strategies that are too aggressive can also do great damage to our climate and to nature."

In the absence of federal renewable thermal policy, some major corporate players have founded the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, focusing on green heat and not just on green electricity.











Focus on Fuel: Pellets, briquettes, and firewood
Very informative article about pellet heating market in Italy, where 3.1 million homes have pellet stoves, the government gives 65% tax credit for stove installations, pellets come in 33 pound bags, growth is still double digits and a black market for pellets is emerging!

Seeley Lake, a Montana town combatting high residential wood smoke tested compressed wood logs with three homes and it was a real success. Making these available and even subsidizing them could be very effective in areas with change out programs, even after a change out. The author also talks about potential of automated stoves.

In New Zealand, 65 per cent of the beechwood used for kebab sticks is turned sawdust, Booth said. "We used to take it to the dump. Now we turn it into a recycled product." The moisture content of briquettes is about 8 per cent whereas Environment Canterbury requires firewood to be under 25 per cent.

Should firewood be sold by weight, where the less you get the more you pay? A light cord means its seasoned and more valuable than a very heavy cord of the same species mix.

“We currently cannot operate our lumber mill to its capacity because we haven’t got anywhere to dispose of the (sawdust waste).” Skeena Sawmills has been loading it into the Kitsumkalum landfill. “But it’s now the landfill is full so we can’t do that anymore.” Time to build a pellet plant.
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Best of April Facebook
KXLY News did a story on Kuma as part of their "Made in the Northwest" program.
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Conferences & Webinars
June 4, 2018, 2:30-4:00 PM EST
NYSERDA funded a study by Prof. Phil Hopke and others who identified an oxidation process causing pellets to offgas CO. Professor Hopke will present his experiments that provided a pathway to a solution. Kelli Curran explains how they retooled her pellet plant to prevent the problem.

June 6, 2018, 3-4:30 PM EST
Join BTEC, BERC and INRS for an informative webinar to learn more about the recently adopted ASABE AD17225-4 Standard.

Princeton, WV, June 7, 2018
This one day workshop covers the important business topics needed to operate a small firewood and/or sawmill business.

Saratoga Springs, NY, June 18-19, 2018
This workshops explore how the Northeast region can work collaboratively to accelerate the adoption of renewable heating and cooling technologies.

Frankenmuth, MI, June 20, 2018
Morning and afternoon sessions focus on the basics and challenges of producing and marketing firewood and the technical aspects of firewood production.

Myrtle Beach, SC, June 24-26, 2018
The PFI Annual Conference highlights the various applications of densified biomass, as well as trends and best practices within the densified biomass industry.

Durham, NC, June 26-27, 2018
On the rapid adoption and technological advances of new air sensor technologies, how well they perform and how lower-cost technologies can be used for certain non-regulatory applications.   

Westport, MA, July 15-18, 2018
The annual gathering of the antique wood stove community showcases rare old stoves and those who know and admire them.

Philadelphia, PA, July 22-27, 2018
Join us in Philadelphia to meet with the international indoor air and climate community in an exciting week of networking, exchange of ideas, and discussion of the latest indoor air science.

Davis, CA, September 10, 2018
ASIC brings together stakeholders from academia, government, and communities to promote and advance air pollution sensors.

Berlin, Germany, October 10-11, 2018
The International Biomass Congress & Expo brings together leading producers, suppliers, regulators and others over a two day period to address issues relating to the biomass sector.

Burlington, VT, October 18-19, 2018
REV2017 brought together leaders and experts from throughout the region to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Washington DC, November 9-13, 2018
The 2018 event is free and open to the public and features a competition on the best automated wood stove and thermoelectric wood stoves. It includes rigorous testing and assessment.





































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