Drying Firewood when RHI payments stop.

[donnk]

I would be getting specialist advice to be honest.

 

Power correction is quite easy option, you get a specialist in they measure the loads work out how big a capacitor bank is and you just do the math.

 

The fans though, that would be where i would be trying to get some saving. Talk to one of the big manufacturers they will know, someone like https://www.halifax-fan.co.uk/products/energy-efficient-industrial-fans

 

 

[ash_smith123]

22 hours ago, Woodwanter said:

No one can be sure. From what i have been advised, new set ups will be shut down, existing may be depending on what % of your total Tier 1 goes towards fuel drying

Quite, they have and can moved the goal posts. Any business plans for fuel drying need to stack up without the RHI in my opinion from now on.

 

would it be viable to use fossil fuels to take over instead?

Yes our business plan still stacks up without the RHI but the £400k I was sold as being “guarentee’ed” over the next 17 years would be more than annoying if they took it away. 

I havnt ever looked into the finer print of the terms and conditions of the RHI accreditation but if I was accredited under the information that the eligible heat was being used to dry fuel and they take that away from me before the 20 year subsidy ends (that they agreed the terms of the “contract” then I would be looking at the option of suing Ofgem for the £400k. 

[arboriculturist]

You signed up in good faith but the powers that be know that they are 100% in the driving seat.

 

Any Barrister who agreed to consider legal action against a major league player will be looking for at least 5k deposited from your account into their's before they lift a finger, so that avenue will only ever lead you to a cliff edge.

 

It will be harsh on you if they are able to side-step what appeared to be signed and sealed.

 

In your position I would certainly be disecting those T&C's, just so you know exactly where you stand.

Edited February 2, 2018 by arboriculturist

[skyhuck]

They are saying that "planned" log drying installations will be allowed, so clearly there is not intension to stop those already accredited.

 

Haters are always gonna hate   

[Woodwanter]

2 hours ago, ash_smith123 said:

Yes our business plan still stacks up without the RHI but the £400k I was sold as being “guarentee’ed” over the next 17 years would be more than annoying if they took it away. 

I havnt ever looked into the finer print of the terms and conditions of the RHI accreditation but if I was accredited under the information that the eligible heat was being used to dry fuel and they take that away from me before the 20 year subsidy ends (that they agreed the terms of the “contract” then I would be looking at the option of suing Ofgem for the £400k. 

I am sure plenty are in the same boat, it does seem bonkers that they are able to change the rules but I doubt they would be if they didn't have the legal ability to do so

[Richard 1234]

The government has managed to change state workers pensions so that workers pay more to get less out in the end. If they can do that I’m sure they can do as they please with this RHI

[ash_smith123]

9 hours ago, Woodwanter said:

I am sure plenty are in the same boat, it does seem bonkers that they are able to change the rules but I doubt they would be if they didn't have the legal ability to do so

I’ve been watching too many episodes of Suits! ??

[HertsWood]

Other ways to dry firewood without resorting to rhi route, which are still cost effective..

[ash_smith123]

6 hours ago, HertsWood said:

Other ways to dry firewood without resorting to rhi route, which are still cost effective..

In less than a week and for less than £10 a cubic metre? 

[openspaceman]

5 hours ago, HertsWood said:

Other ways to dry firewood without resorting to rhi route, which are still cost effective..

As RHI was only supposed to cover the difference in cost of a biomass boiler compared with a fossil fuelled onethere must be other ways:

 

1 second-hand wood fired boiler; they seem to go cheap enough I saw a 500kW  one that we installed 4 years before get knocked down for 10% of it's price

 

2 gas fired system to "polish" off the last few percent moisture content, on a large scale it can be had for under 3p/kWh and when you look at the O&M costs of a wood system the labour saving may be worth having

 

3 Make use of the downstream heat for heating a building.

 

incidentally I have a couple of bits of kit that didn't sell with my boiler, a 12kW fan coil unit and about 10m of Hep20 pipes for it and a circulating pump, could be ideal for a recirculating kiln.

 

Also a silo unloading auger and three phase motor with reduction gearbox, missing a drive chain, bearing and sprocket; As the boiler wouldn't burn fresh chip and needed it below 25%mc to burn at all cleanly I had intended this to use in a simple chip dryer by blowing heated air along it. In the past we had managed to dry fresh G30 chip down to 30% in less than 20 minutes with 90 degree air. With insulation and a little playing with angle of the auger I think one could dry 25kg of 50% green chip per hour with 12kW, down to 16.5kg of 25%mc chip