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Filed under: Grass Fuel Pellets — Jim Wuertele at 12:42 pm on Monday, December 17, 2007

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Your Situation:

1. How do fuels differ in energy and cost?
– Bottom-line issues
Click on “Fuel Comparator Chart” and use your PDF reader after down-loading file.

2. How many tons of grass fuel might I need?
– Estimating requirements
Click on “Fuel Calculator” and use your PDF reader after down-loading file.

3. Will I have grass heating issues?
– Inconveniences of solid fuels
From the Page, “Solid Heating Fuels”

4. What choices will I have after the first season?
– Increasing your opportunities
From the Page, “Following Startup Season”

Your process:

1. What would it take to grow grass for fuel pellets?
– This summer’s action
From the Page, “Grass Feedstock Development”

2. How could I make my own pellets?
– The pelletizer and you
From the Page, “Grass Pellet Production”

3. How will I relate with fellow pellet makers?
– Necessary and optional coordination with other pelletizers
From the Page, “Connected Production”

Your bottom line
1. How could grass fuel pellets become practical for me?
– Issues of storage and burning
From the Page, “Grass Pellet Use”

2. What new equipment might I need to learn?
– Systems and their evaluation
From the Page, “Equipment”

3. What about my overproduction?
– An undeveloped market
From the Page, “Grass Pellet Marketing”

Welcome and Introduction

Filed under: Grass Fuel Pellets — Jim Wuertele at 12:39 pm on Monday, December 17, 2007

Including harvesting and pelletizing, bags of straw pellets could be produced for under $125 per ton at your place. A ton of such pellets heats about as well as 100 gallons of oil. An acre should provide 1 to 3 tons of tall grass varieties. Therefore, experiment with 10 acres of existing grass to learn pelletizing and other issues until your new stand yields. That should heat a 1000 sq. ft. insulated structure for a winter using certain corn stoves running at 5 pounds per hour.

In August 2007, I was advised that the large (3 ton per hour) transportable pelletizer will not be available in Vermont for the foreseeable future. They are going to build a pickup truck mounted one in 2008.

ViFam will provide design and build services for small (100# per hour) fixed pelletizers to supply a small farm and its neighbors with such a system for experiments. The cost would be about $35,000.

My interest is encouraging heat energy independence for small farms. You can reach me (Jim) at 748-8813 for a pelletizer visit, when it becomes a reality, or for any further detail.
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Limit your goals
Start preparing the land to produce several acres of switchgrass by removing all growths, then starting switchgrass.
Experimental grass fuel pellets should lead you towards efficiencies and best practices. You will be your own customer as there is no formal market for this fuel.

Apologies
To the interested reader, scientist, or “bystander”, we must admit that our results are experimental now. Therefore, please consider this information site tentative in science and specialized in application: this is not meant as a public forum.