Just a Thought

The Supply and Price of Wood Pellets

Last year in the USA wood pellets went into short supply, and the price nearly doubled. Here is a link to one story: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/cpb_pellets.html

The thought struck me that we are an island with only one big wood pellet producer and a couple of smaller ones. We import almost all of our wood. And additionally we have a history in government of ineptitude and lack of forward planning. The SEI Grant Scheme being one such example. (see several previous posts)

All of this does not give me reason for confidence about the idea of going over to wood pellet heating. What if the only big Irish factory breaks down. What if the wood supply to Ireland is cut off by transport problems? What if the price of pellets just sky rockets? Are there any SEI guarantees or grants for that lot?

We do not have an infrastructure sufficiently developed yet for the production of high quality home produced biomass wood pellets. Until such time as we do, is it wise to invest lots of money and lots of effort into an unproved situation. Can any government agency reassure us on this one??

Ask SEI and your public representatives these questions.