Alternative fuels and consequently alternative forms of energy, are constantly on my mind.  I worry about the environment and the legacy that my generation may leave for the next.  I have always been keen to do my bit, and have been doing a little global and local research.

I have a wood burning stove which will be used to heat my cave this winter, there is also an open fire in the main part of the cave, so that will also be used.  I have been thinking not only about the cost of fuel for this winter, but also the impact that this might leave on the environment.  A lot of the wood that I will purchase for the winter will have been a by product of the Almond and Olive industry, clearance of land for development, but some, I suspect will have been cut down for the purpose of supplying wood for the domestic market.

I spoke with a friend the other day who told me that he was installing a special burner that burns the shells from the Almonds.  This is a specially designed stove which is hopper fed and designed to withstand the very high temperatures created by the combustion of the almond shells.  He told me that they were not very pretty but extremely efficient and very cheap to run, as the almond shells are very cheap.  The words "cheap" and "efficient" seemed to over ride the the words "not very pretty" in my mind.  Now I have long known that almond shells could and were used as fuel, but I imagine they would have been used on an open fire, but I did not realise that there were purpose built stoves for this purpose.  It seems that not only are there stoves but also boilers for central heating.  I have sourced some of the stoves to Almeria but I have not been able to check this out for myself, but I will do very soon and report my findings.

Now this got me to thinking about recycling and alternative fuels, and it seems that Biomass heating systems are starting to become the order of the day, especially in locations such as Andalucia were there is a greater concentration of rural life.  Having said that this form of alternative energy seems to be making it's mark in other areas of Spain.  In Zaragoza , which is situated between Madrid and Barcelona, there are 30 community buildings who have replaced their coal and oil boilers with Biomass boilers which are far cheaper and more ecological.  This form of energy seems to have attracted the attention of the Spanish Government who are putting in place grants for the installation of this sort of alternative bioenergy in public places such as schools and public buildings.

So what is Biomass?

The term biomass encompasses a variety of fuels and technologies used to produce renewable energy. Biomass refers to land and water-based vegetation, organic wastes and photosynthetic organisms. These are non-fossil, renewable carbon resources from which energy can be produced and used as fossil fuel substitutes. Examples of biomass include: wood, grasses, crops, agricultural and municipal wastes, olive pits, almond shells, corn husks. Biomass can be burned to produce heat that is used to create steam to turn turbines to produce electricity. Therefore, energy from biomass can produce electricity and/or heat.
 

1.  Atmospheric CO², water & Sunlight

2.  Converted into new plant matter through photosynthesis.

3.  Which is harvested and Burnt.

4   Carbon released back into the atmosphere.

These boilers and stoves are now being made available for the residential market, and a switch from a conventional boiler can realise a long term saving of 50%.  Two kilos of Biomass provides the heat that would be provided by a litre of oil.  Pellets are being manufactured to meet the new needs that this type of energy demand and soon I hope they will be available to all.

Further detailed information will be published as it becomes available.