Straw for power stations

[Yorkshire92]

Is baling straw for power stations a profitable job or is it more a numbers game to make your money? What are the pro’s and con’s? What are the loop holes you have to jump through? Just curious more than anything as you see all these video’s on YouTube of all tackle doing the job but is there really that much money in it??

 

[quattro]

I personally think if farmers could stick together they would be in a good position to make it profitable

 

[Lincs Lass]

I cant see how it can pay , seeing how many loads go into the plant here and how many get rejected

 

[digger64]

A driver was telling me in the pub 4 days ago - " it's madness they just keep taking the same loads back until they go in , they just turn some bales round on the load and hope the mc % is different "

 

[Lincs Lass]

Ive heard of loads getting rejected just because the probe doesnt line up correctly or the grabs in the barns cant pick them of the wagon square

 

[D14]

Is baling straw for power stations a profitable job or is it more a numbers game to make your money? What are the pro’s and con’s? What are the loop holes you have to jump through? Just curious more than anything as you see all these video’s on YouTube of all tackle doing the job but is there really that much money in it??

I know a guy who set up to do this as an off shoot from his farming business. He was buying straw in the swath everywhere. His sale price to the power station was £50/tonne. I think he managed 3 seasons before the two balers, bale collector was sold. If your paying £50/acre in the swath and baling 1.5t/acre average of straw it only leaves £25/acre to get it baled, stacked and loaded to the power station.
The reason the power station are winning this is because they know that the straw to the farmer is generally a waste product so by targeting the mainly arable areas they can get customers at £50/tonne because the farmer can get a tonne baled for about £12. Then loaded and carted to a central pile and then loaded out for another £5/tonne leaving them with £30 ish /tonne profit.

 

[Andrew]

If you’re baling for the powerstations alone it’s not particularly profitable. However it is a good outlet for ‘second’ quality straw that other markets reject, which in turn makes that more profitable.

 

[Nithsdale]

If you’re baling for the powerstations alone it’s not particularly profitable. However it is a good outlet for ‘second’ quality straw that other markets reject, which in turn makes that more profitable.

What other markets reject straw that the power stations would take? Quality isn't a great issue, is it - just needs to be very dry?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Everyone would love a contract this year . Price is a good £10 / ton over market price , its swings and roundabouts isnt it ,

 

[ajd132]

I think burning carbon in power stations should be illegal, especially if the whole Net Zero thing becomes serious. It’s utterly ridiculous. (I have sold straw to go in power stations so i am a hypocrite!)

 

[Lazy Eric]

I think burning carbon in power stations should be illegal, especially if the whole Net Zero thing becomes serious. It’s utterly ridiculous. (I have sold straw to go in power stations so i am a hypocrite!)

If the western world didn’t burn any carbon to generate electricity and relied upon wind/ solar energy.. believe me my friend the lights will be going out!!! The world population has doubled, quadruple, I don’t know the figures, since the industrial revolution..
I see your 28,in my book that’s young.
Similar age to the people blocking the streets in London.
Please tell us all how the billions of people on planet earth are going to be fed, clothed housed and watered without some form of carbon being released into the atmosphere??
It really does confuse me what young folk think will happen if we all went completely eco...

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Wave power is totaly untapped ,

 

[ajd132]

If the western world didn’t burn any carbon to generate electricity and relied upon wind/ solar energy.. believe me my friend the lights will be going out!!! The world population has doubled, quadruple, I don’t know the figures, since the industrial revolution..
I see your 28,in my book that’s young.
Similar age to the people blocking the streets in London.
Please tell us all how the billions of people on planet earth are going to be fed, clothed housed and watered without some form of carbon being released into the atmosphere??
It really does confuse me what young folk think will happen if we all went completely eco...

I was meaning more in context with whole NFU net zero thing, how can straw fires power stations have any future with that?

 

[ajd132]

If the western world didn’t burn any carbon to generate electricity and relied upon wind/ solar energy.. believe me my friend the lights will be going out!!! The world population has doubled, quadruple, I don’t know the figures, since the industrial revolution..
I see your 28,in my book that’s young.
Similar age to the people blocking the streets in London.
Please tell us all how the billions of people on planet earth are going to be fed, clothed housed and watered without some form of carbon being released into the atmosphere??
It really does confuse me what young folk think will happen if we all went completely eco...

And maybe people my age care because we’re the ones who are going to be living in the world. Just because we’ve burnt a lot of carbon for the last 100 years doesn’t mean we should carry on doing it.

 

[7610 super q]

Well at least it puts a floor in the market.

 

[Lazy Eric]

And maybe people my age care because we’re the ones who are going to be living in the world. Just because we’ve burnt a lot of carbon for the last 100 years doesn’t mean we should carry on doing it.

I appreciate you care , I just really can’t see how it’s to be achieved. Looked online, pre industrial revolution there was just less than a billion people on earth, today 7.5 billion. You see my point?

 

[Nithsdale]

Wave power is totaly untapped ,

Not totally... there are tidal generators producing power as we speak.


But it is the future for regular, reliable 'green' energy and should have been invested in, instead of wind.

 

[ajd132]

I appreciate you care , I just really can’t see how it’s to be achieved. Looked online, pre industrial revolution there was just less than a billion people on earth, today 7.5 billion. You see my point?

I see it, but it’s not an answer for any of the issues facing my generation, it’s just an excuse not to do anything.

 

[roscoe erf]

Wave power is totaly untapped ,

they will get the technology soon to make a tap big enough

 

[Goweresque]

I think burning carbon in power stations should be illegal, especially if the whole Net Zero thing becomes serious. It’s utterly ridiculous. (I have sold straw to go in power stations so i am a hypocrite!)

Where do you think the carbon stored in straw came from?