pellet

From coal to biomass for some Virginia power

Some Virginians will soon have forests to thank for their electricity.

Biomass manufacturer Enviva has signed a contract with Dominion Virginia Power, a subsidiary of Dominion, to supply wood waste chips to two power plants that are being converted from using coal to renewable biomass.

Dominion Virginia Power had announced in April its intention to convert three 63-megawatt coal-burning electricity plants into three 50-megawatt renewable biomass electricity plants. Specifically, it plans to convert its Altavista, Southampton, and Hopewell, Va., plants. The Southampton and Hopewell plants have contracted to use Enviva wood waste chips pending approval from the Virginia State Corporation … Read more

Why I bought two tons of wood heating pellets

It's not often that I handle a ton of anything but I recently took delivery of 2 tons of wood pellets for home heating. Pellets aren't perfect but I see them as one of the ways consumers can diversify their energy sources and "go green" on a personal level.

The pellets, which are compressed sawdust, come in 40-pound bags stacked about 5 feet high on wood pallets. Those 2 tons, stashed in my garage until the cold weather hits, will cover the bulk of my household heating needs for the coming season.

It happened to be … Read more

Pellet grill helps us shake off the frost

As we stagger out of our man-made caves, ready to greet the changing season, we emerge hungry--hungry for the grill. While the winds of change may carry us outside and straight to the grill, they also bring with them uncertainty. Not only do we find ourselves out of practice cooking over a fire, but also subject to the unpredictability inherent in working with wood or charcoal as a fuel source. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The Memphis Wood Pellet Grill offers the precision temperature control common to indoor ovens. Using wood pellets as a fuel source, … Read more

WoodPellets.com stocks coffers for winter

When it comes to converting plants into usable energy, biofuels garner the bulk of attention and dollars. But there's a growing number of people using biomass for heating.

One company that's betting on continued growth is New Hampshire-based WoodPellets.com, which on Monday plans to disclose that it has raised $11 million to expand its online home wood pellet delivery service.

With the money, the 3-year-old e-commerce company plans to expand its distribution network to more places in the U.S. (right now, it works mainly in the Northeast) and to develop ways to do bulk shipments of … Read more