The Seeker
Member
Looking ahead electricity prices and demand for grain not so much the straw or dried grass, not necessarily the palatable stuff anyone have a system of burning material for energy. ? Don’t shoot me down just asking
Anyone have a straw bale burner heating system / electric producing thing?
- Thread starter The Seeker
- Start date
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
warksfarmer
Member
You mean a biomass boiler for heat energy? These are very common and we are in year 5 with ours.
Adding elec generation from the waste heat is very expensive but these are called CHP (combined heat & power) I think.
I think it’s called something like ‘ranking’.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Can you give a brief rundown of what is required? Do you essentially rip out the old domestic boiler and plug the new thing in? Can you run more than one house from one?
warksfarmer
Member
I’ll message you .
Run a basic straw burner here - put anything (wood/straw) on it, plumbed into the domestic central heating. We retained the oil boiler for autumn and spring when you only need the odd hour.
You can run more than one house if they are close enough- the insulated pipe is expensive. Just spec the boiler appropriately
You can run more than one house if they are close enough- the insulated pipe is expensive. Just spec the boiler appropriately
- Location
- North Norfolk
warksfarmer
Member
That’s the one
- Location
- America's dairyland
If you can't boil water with biomass heat, then there's not much to be saved by going to a lower boiling point working fluid. As far as I know, the most economical biomass combined heat electricity generation is currently internal combustion engines run on methane from AD.
I'd like to see a practical wood fired internal combustion turbine generator, like the Youtubers that do it for fun, but don't seem to realize the potential, except NYE manufacturing did one many years ago and tried to gear down a turbo. Couldn't find the Nye video, but here's one newer one:
I'd like to see a practical wood fired internal combustion turbine generator, like the Youtubers that do it for fun, but don't seem to realize the potential, except NYE manufacturing did one many years ago and tried to gear down a turbo. Couldn't find the Nye video, but here's one newer one:
- Location
- North Norfolk
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
steam engine running a generator would be handy 
- Location
- North Norfolk
But the Nye Thermodynamics thing would be more fun!steam engine running a generator would be handy
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
i just think it would be nice to have steam engine in a fireplace...light it up in evening for space heat and power the lights ..or bit more 
.....i mean...'what could possibly go wrong'
.....i mean...'what could possibly go wrong'I would of thought so if it was dryed used to burn it no the somerset levels and they still burn it in Ireland it does get hot.
warksfarmer
Member
If would have to be dry I would think as the heat output of a wet bale of straw (say 20%) is far lower (at least 50%) of a dry bale (say 12%).
renewablejohn
Member
- Location
- lancs
Yes thank you.
The Seeker
Member
renewablejohn
Member
- Location
- lancs
What do you want to know and how deep is your pockets.
- Location
- Haute Vienne, France
When I was a child in the UK we had one of these to heat the farm house. When we gave up the dairy cows and stopped using the silage clamp we had to do something with the lorry load of tyres that used to hold the sheet down. Each evening on his way into the house dad would pop one on the boiler just to help it along. They gave off a surprising amount of heat but best to wait till after dark and make sure there was nothing on the washing line.