I WOOD ENERGY "An Analysis of Woodstove Performance," Jay Shelton; Country journal, Oct. 1976, pp. 47-50, $1/issue, $10/ yr. from: 139 Main Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 ' A long-awaited and 'refreshingly candid comparative analysis of ·energy efficiency of different kinds of wood heaters. Should fuel ~he fire of efficiency studies for quite a while. Stoves studied ranged from Franklin fireplaces to oil barrel stoves to air-tight heaters and Scandinavian imports. Efficiencies of stoves tested ranged from 40 to 65 percent. Almost all stoves tested appeared similar in efficiency, with all displaying a wide range of performance depending on how they were operated. A number of factors significant in performance are , discussed, including size of pieces of wood burned, heat transfer from stovepipes, low vs. high burning rates, ease of operation and fuel capacity. A number of useful pointers for choosing wood heaters ar~ given. Woodb'urners Encyclopedia, by Raymond Montgomery and Jay Shelton' is to be published soon at $5.95 by: Vermont Crossroads Press Waitsfield,_VT 05673 The SEVCA Stove Southeastern Vermont Community Action 9 Westminster Street Bellows Falls, VT 05101 This is the stove that got top rating in Jay Shelton's wood stove energy efficiency tests. It's not a slick commercial model but produced by a local antipoverty agency for low-income clients. It sells for $105 to people meeting OEO poverty guidelines (that's most of us!) or $235 to anyone else. Made out of · discarded propane tanks. Hmmm! ... if everyone who uses bottled gas cut up their tanks..... A good example of top quality work being done by small local groups. December 1976 RAIN Page 15 ENERGY I Wood 'N Energy, $5/yr. (at least 4 issues) from: Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests 5 South State Street Concord, NH 03301 Keep your eye on New England in energy matters.:_they've raced ahead of the rest of the country in energy conservation and conversion to renewable energy sources, pushed by skyrocketing energy_costs and restricted fuel imports. Wood 'N Energy covers the real cutting edge of developments in use of wood energy-from the ~ong range prospects for wood as an energy source in New England to the immediate "how-to" details of stoves and cordwood. It specifically covers information on efficient home heating, woodlot management, development of wood chip burners, generation of electri.city from wood and production of methanol and other wood produc.ts. "Getting Fire-A Field Guide to the Stoves" in Maine Times, October 22, 1976, 30q from: Maine Times Topsham, ME 04086 A good guide to how different kinds of wood heaters work and feedback from users on specific problems/features of different stoves. Compiled with the help of Albie Barden of Maine Wood Heat Co., RFD 1, Box 38, Norridgewock, ME 04957, who is preparing a more extensive guide to wood-burning stoves and heaters. Wood Burning Quarterly, $4.95/yr. from: 8009 34th Avenue So. Minneapolis, MN 55420 Similar in format to Organic Gardening and Farming but oriented to pe_ople who heat with wood. Short consumer articles on topics such as energy-efficient fireplaces and avoiding chimney fires and an extensive product access for wood stoves, heaters and accessories. Articles don't yet seem to be abreast of the most recent developments in a rapidly changing field, but we've only seen their first issue. Should provide a usef~l service as it gets shaken down. -Tom Bender BIOCONVERSION "An Economic Analysis of Fuel Gas Production from Solid Waste," by R. G. Kispert, S. E. Sawdek and D. L. Wise, in Resource Recovery and Conseroation, Vol. 1, No.1, pp. 95-109, 1975. Summary of a study done for NSFRANN on an anaerobic system for converting 1000 tons/day of urban solid waste to methane gas. The concept, similar to the older L.A. plant mentioned earlier, is being demonstrated by ERDA at a $2 million plant now under construction in Pompano Beach, Florida. Contact Don Walters, ERDA Fuels from Biomass Program, Washington, DC for progress reports. Also: "An Evaluation of Methane Production from Solid Waste," by the same authors, in the same journal as above~ vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 245-255, 1976. A technology assessment of where methane conversion of solid waste would be m@st economically attractive in the U.S. A map suggesting 18 specific sites, mostly in the northeastern U.S., is included. Resource Recovery is $43.40/year. For subscription, reprint and singlecopy price, write: · · · Dr. Harvey Alter, editor Resource Recovery and Conservation National Center for Resource Recovery, Inc. 1211 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 The Anaerobic Digestion of Livestock Wastes to Produce Methane, 1946-]une 1975: A Bibliography with Abstracts, Gregg Shadduck and James A. Moore, 1975, $2 from: J. A. Moore. Ag. Engineering Dept. University of Minnesota St. Paul, MN 55108 Most of the current interest in methane is focused on manure as a prime resource. This is the best annotated bibliography on the subject, tracing the history of the process from its beginning, through many ~oreign experiences (Germany, India, France), laboratory · results, and current projects. Smaller sections focus on digestion of farmgenerated cellulosic material~ (straw, cornstalks, etc.) and the fertilizing qualities of digester effluent. I
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