The cutting edge of renewable energy is chopping down trees, chipping them, loading the chips onto a truck, transporting to a brand new plant, and burning them.
Yes, burning trees to read your paper at night, illuminate your office during the day, and (for some) cooking dinner. The new technology is called biomass.
That’s the same power source used by Abraham Lincoln when he was going to school. His family used wood for cooking, heating, and illumination.
In fact, as recently as when my dad was growing up on a farm, the family used wood for cooking and heating. Thanks to John Rockefeller, they were able to use kerosene for illumination. They would buy coal to keep the house warm overnight. Wood was the sole cooking source and primary heating source.
Public Service of New Hampshire has a new wood-burner fully online. I calculate it will cost New Hampshire residents an extra 1 or 2 cents a kilowatt-hour.
For the next 20 years.
New wood-burner plant at full capacity
Continue reading “Wood-burners – The high cost of using 1860s and 1930s technology for heating, illumination, and cooking”
