According to estimates from the Energy Information Administration, prices for U.S. home heating oil were up 24 percent in February 2011, compared to a year ago. With prices expected to continuing rise, homeowners are getting nervous about heating costs for the 2011/12 season and many are exploring the move to woody biomass fueled appliances. The […]
New Hampshire Enhances Pellet Heat Rebate Program
The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has made some improvements to their Residential Bulk-Fuel Fed Wood-Pellet Central Boilers and Furnaces program to allow more systems to qualify. If you live in the state of New Hampshire and are interested in installing a automated wood pellet boiler (like the Greenwood Denali Series), you may be eligible […]
EPA Announces Three-year Deferral on Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements
Earlier this week, the Obama administration put a three-year hold on determining the permitting requirements for carbon dioxide emissions from biomass-fired and other biogenic sources. The surprise delay dealt a blow to green groups’ hopes for stricter pollution controls on wood-burning incinerators, while the biomass industry breathed a sigh of relief. Since the the initial […]
The Energy Cocktail: Powering a Nation
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has developed an edutainment web application that allows you to be in control of the United States energy. The goal of the game is to rework the U.S. energy portfolio to double the energy production in the United while decreasing the total carbon emissions. Try the Energy […]
New York State Adopts Stricter Regulations for New Outdoor Wood Boilers
In a surprise move, two months after putting the regulation on hold, the NY DEC approved stricter regulations for new outdoor wood boilers effective April 15th, 2011. Like many other northeastern states, New York follows the format of much of the EPA voluntary OWHH standard — this includes: emission performance, wood boiler stack height, approved […]
Google Tool Helps Monitor World’s Forests
Earlier this month, Google announced a new technology platform (Google Earth Engine) designed to help scientists — and ultimately developing countries — monitor deforestation and land use trends. According to Google, the Earth Engine brings together the world’s satellite imagery—trillions of scientific measurements dating back more than 25 years—and makes it available online with tools […]
Biomass Appliance Tax Credit Cut
This past Friday the Tax Cut Compromise Package was signed into law by President Obama, and continues to draw fire from both political parties. Of significance to families who are looking to purchase a biomass or wood heater, the incentives will be severely cut beginning January 1, 2011. The law reduces the biomass heater tax […]
Draft Air Pollution Rules for Boilers Were Too Strict, EPA Air Chief Says
According to the New York Times, the U.S. EPA is modifying their ruling on industrial boilers. Having taken comment on controversial new regulations for industrial boilers and citing opposition from business leaders and lawmakers, the U.S. EPA now believes that some pollution limits in the draft rules “were simply too tight to be able to […]
So you have not heard of the “Kachelofen”?
What is that mysterious Kachelofen, pronounced (kah-kel-low-fen)? Mark Twain called it “a masterly performer” and “One firing is enough for the day; the cost is next to nothing; the heat produced is the same all day, instead of too hot and too cold by turns.” It is a thousand year old tradition of building wood […]
BioEnergy Atlas
Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the BioEnergy Atlas, a Web portal that provides access to bio-energy analysis and mapping tools. The visualization tools, BioPower and BioFuels Atlas, allow users to view related bio-energy data on a single map. Some of these data include biomass feedstocks, bio-power and […]