About Woodsure – The UK’s new woodfuel quality assurance standard.

This not-for-profit scheme provides a straightforward, thorough procedure for assessing the quality of woodfuel supplied for use in biomass boilers.

Woodsure’s quality testing ensures that the producer and the supplier know how to make or supply fuel that will be right for your boiler.

Our simple, practical approach to accreditation and our stringent quality evaluation regime means that woodfuel production costs can be kept down but quality improves. Compliance with recognised fuel quality standards no longer has to mean higher prices for the consumer.

Woodsure is committed to facilitating a vibrant, sustainable woodfuel supply infrastructure that will play a part in encouraging the uptake of renewable energy initiatives.

Woodsure acknowledge the support of the Forestry Commission, South West England, in developing the Woodsure pilot scheme in the region.

Explore the founding principles and motivations that define the Woodsure accreditation scheme …

140 tonnes of chipped fuel with over 1000 tonnes of SRW ready to be chipped outside

The importance of testing for moisture content

The Team!

On Thursday last week Andy Grundy the production manager at Midlands Wood Fuel showed students from Harper Adams University stocked dried fuel ready for the winter at the Prees depot in North Shropshire.

The intention of the visit was for students to be shown how the quality of wood chip is kept at a high standard by reducing the chips moisture content and preventing contamination.

As many students were intending on becoming land agents, it was important for them to be educated on the future demands of the ever growing wood fuel market.  Aspects such as particle size, timber seasoning and species variation were covered during the talk.

All 23 students studying ‘Sustainable Forestry and Forest Products were drawn from final year degree courses Countryside Management, Countryside and Environmental Management, Rural Enterprise and Land Management Rural Property Management.

Commercial renewable heat installations were supposed to become eligible for tariff payments from September 30th, but the Commission stepped in with one day to go because it believes the tariff for biomass systems has been set too high.

The RHI can only go ahead with state aid approval and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says this will be granted on condition that the biomass tariff is lowered. However, changing the biomass tariff means the regulations governing the whole scheme have to be altered and submitted back to Parliament for approval.

“We are unable to launch the scheme as a whole until this process has been completed,” a DECC statement said. “Therefore, unfortunately, we will not be able to open the scheme for applications on 30 September 2011 as we had originally planned.

“Once we have received written confirmation from the Commission, we will make a further announcement about what this means for the large biomass tariff and the timing of the launch. We are committed to launching the scheme as soon as possible to minimise disruption to stakeholders.

The investment has been supported by the Woodland Enterprise Grant, run by Herefordshire Council.

Midlands Wood Fuel Ltd is delighted to have received the Sustainable Energy Business Award at the 11^th annual Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, the world’s leading green energy awards. The Award is in recognition of the company’s achievement in supplying reliable, high-quality wood fuel in the Midlands and North West and helping provide a heating alternative to fossil fuels.

The award was presented during the annual award ceremony on the 17^th June, in front of 500 guests at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

READ MORE HERE

The DEC policy document, and other detailed information can be downloaded from the DECC website www.decc.gov.uk/rhi

A very useful summary, produced by the Renewable Energy Association can be downloaded here.

This is very welcome news for the industry, as it transforms the economics of installing a wood fired boiler, and will lead to a much greater uptake of the technology by properly recognising the environmental benefits that wood fuel brings.

Midlands Wood Fuel will be pleased to answer any questions from existing or prospective customers, and is able to quickly and easily calculate the financial benefits in any individual case.

Mucknell Abbey is the new home to a community of Benedictine monks and nuns. The property, which is a complex of former agricultural buildings, has been painstakingly renovated and converted, and now includes many low carbon technologies such as rainwater harvesting, solar PV panels, and a ‘Hargassner’ wood chip boiler installed by Wood Energy Ltd.

Midlands Wood Fuel delivers wood chip fuel to the site using our pneumatic ‘chip tankers’, around six and a half tonnes at a time.

The following text is part of a statement released today by DECC:

“£860 million funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive which will be introduced from 2011-12. This will drive a more-than-tenfold increase of renewable heat over the coming decade, shifting renewable heat from a fringe industry firmly into the mainstream” .

Further details specific to wood fuelled heating, and the structure, mechanism and timing of the scheme will be made available over the coming few weeks. Midlands Wood Fuel will keep you informed.

The scheme is essentially a ‘cash-back’ or rebate system. The rates which have been proposed are:

Up to 45 kw                 9p/kw

45kw to 500kw            6.5p/kw

Over 500kw                  2.5 p/kw

This scheme at last recognises the contribution to carbon reduction that wood fuelled boilers make. The consultation document, and supporting information, can be downloaded from