124 Deaths from the smoke of home fires each winter (158 ttl).

$127 Million in costs as a result of these deaths each winter ($168 Mill ttl).

This is approximately 1 death a day for autum & winter.

76% of…

The point is plant biology will be the answer

I've found the next logical step for Michael's problem, we all become trees!

Back in the real world, I think Stephen has it with the balancing of supplies and needs. Biomass, efficiency, hydro, etc will all need to be integrated in…

The point is plant biology will be the answer

I agree that biomass will once again become an important energy source. But the energy density of fossil fuels versus plants means we will be forced to reduce overall energy usage from here on in. All of the energy conservation measures…

A huge amount of plant molecular biology is funded by the DOE in the US. Specifically to develop plants as alternative energy sources. Setting aside for the moment the corruption that has led to the use of corn as…

PV is the logical step for that pocket between the Alps and the Port Hills. It may well require huge assistance to get there but the true cost isn't being counted yet.

Once air quality, hospitalisations, and death are added to the costs PV will become…

As for switching to electrity, please tell me where it is going to come from and how you are going to get…

Ancient brewery discovered on mountaintop in Peru:

. . . hot-burning llama and guinea pig dung, along with other refuse from the settlement, were used to boil water and other ingredients . . .

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=24&idarticle=829

Where's Riddley when you need him, dammit?

they're still omitting particles

so CHC is gonna ban petrol and diesel vehicles?
Now we're talking!

As good as pellets might be, they're still omitting particles and a conversion to pellets will be expensive and only delay the…

Canty air kills.

this is an argument to ban all dodgy emissions. cars, trucks, buses, fireplaces, etc.
it is not an argument against wood pellets.

All pollution is compliant until ruled otherwise.

Cute soundbite, but there are urban emission standards for domestic wood burners now.
Why can't compliance and best practice be the same thing? And veering back on topic, what part of the pellets will lead to disaster?

Stevens point of new markets for once 'free' goods brings up that Canty Elephant we all ignore. Free water for irrigation, exported as milk to the world…

Saw dust would otherwise be used in the garden product industry where it will emit its carbon at a reduced rate.

Dunno about that. I used to develop and install software in plants that cut up panels of wood for furniture. All the sawdust was burnt off on site. Usually…

Just throught that I would point out that energy yield ratio is often referred to as EROEI (energy return on energy invested).

[REPLY: __Thanks, Stephen. I'm kind of randomly bilingual between EYR & EROEI. There's probably some rule about which one to use in a given situation…

This is drifting away from the topic of this discussion, but BRANZ seems to pull through some quite strange assumptions from their thermal modelling results.

For example, BRANZ seems to assume that you need two heat-pumps worth $5000 (in total) for a house like mine. In reality, I have…

The cost comparison of panel heater and heat pumps…

Sorry, I was writing at top speed and somehow pulled the wrong title through from my spreadsheet — that'll teach me to double-check my links before I post (I've corrected the report name in my original reply).

Yes, as you point out, this does give rather a dramatic illustration…

Kyle: I think those were firelogs, a different thing (and more expensive then pellets)

Dammit. Apparently not everyone gets a bargain.

George is still getting back to me on a number for the energy yield ratio (obviously he didn't make it in time for the programme). I'll post an update as soon as I hear back.

In terms of the relative cost of wood pellets, I was going by the…

I did notice that George never did get around to…