EthanD.net
| Overview |
| Feasibility |
- Economic
- Technological
| Gasification |
| Project Journal |
| Conclusions |
Feasibility
The following data has been estimated for my family's house based on energy bills, etc.
2007 Approximate yearly energy stats:
- Heating Oil ~1000 gal = ~$4000*
- Electricity: ~8000 kw/hr = ~$1000
- Total: --------------------------$5000
*this is of course with an average oil price of $4/gal which is approximately what it was this past year. With the price of oil on the rise this cost could potentially increase significantly in the next few years.
So basically there is $5000+ dollars per year on the table. This is the expense that our cogeneration system would be replacing. Five grand a year doesn't seem like too much when you start talking about vehicles to harvest and process biomass, as well as the gasifier, boiler and generation equipment. But when you consider that most people with the property to provide their own fuel own much of the harvesting equipment already it's not as bad. Almost every Vermonter with a wood and/or field lot owns at least a lawn tractor or a four wheeler, if not a larger tractor. Some already own chippers.
Growing and harvesting your own fuel is not for everyone. It requires work, time, biomass to harvest (property), and the equipment. For small farms that have the equipment on hand, fields unsuitable for crops, or junky woods, growing their own fuel would be very feasible. Many however either don't have the land, or time required, and would choose to buy pellets. Vermont is currently involved in a push to establish pellet plants within the state. This would lower pellet transport distance and along with it price, since transportation costs are currently a big cost driver.
At this point commercial wood pellets cost about $250/ton. There are roughly 8000 BTU/lb of pellets which gives 16,000,000 BTU's per ton. This means that pellets are roughly $15.60/1,000,000 BTU. Oil contains 140,000 BTU per gallon, so at $5/gal oil will be $35.70/BTU. Based on these figures, and considering the inevitable rise in oil prices, and potential decrease in pellet prices as they become produced more locally, purchasing biomass is a very economically viable option.
There are two ways to get you biomass. Harvest it your self, from your land, thus in an extremely local fashion, or purchase commercially made pellets. What I believe will happen in the near future it that these two methods will come together somewhere in between to form the most economical and efficient solution. I can see each town having a pellet plant, and the town and community members jointly harvest the biomass, then the pellets are distributed back throughout the town. In this way each town or community would be self sufficient.
Contact: edreissigacker@gmail.com
Copyright Ethan Dreissigacker 2008