Pellet Mill Monthly - December 3, 2013

Canada's wood pellet industry examines rapid growth Biomass Magazine is on site at the Wood Pellet Association of Canada's annual general meeting, which is currently underway and highlighting the sector's rapid growth. READ MORE SHARE
Wood Stove Decathlon: panelists talk heating with pellets At the Wood Stove Decathalon in Washington, D.C., Nov. 16-19, a panel of experts discussed growth of residential pellet heating, some pros and cons, as well its current role in U.S. renewable energy generation. READ MORE SHARE
	PFI seeks experts to serve on ISO pellet safety workgroups The Pellet Fuels Institute is recruiting members and other industry representatives to get involved in the development of new pellet safety standards by the International Standards Organization. Those interested are encouraged to contact PFI staff. READ MORE SHARE
Rentech provides update on Ontario pellet projects Rentech has begun construction of its planned pellet facilities in Atikokan and Wawa in eastern Ontario and is on schedule to meet pellet delivery obligations to Ontario Power Generation and Drax next year. READ MORE SHARE
Forest2Market begins campaign for wood pellet project developers Forest2Market kicked off a 24-part series to educate wood pellet project developers about the complexities of the U.S. wood supply chain. Topics will range from feed-in tariffs and certificates for difference to sustainable feedstock demonstration. READ MORE SHARE
Wood Stove Decathalon underway in Washington, D.C. The Alliance for Green Heat's Wood Stove Decathalon is underway at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., an event during which twelve teams are competing for the title of the cleanest, most efficient and innovative wood stoves. READ MORE SHARE
Government Help and Hindrance Maine Fuel Pellet Association Executive Director Bill Bell discusses advancements in Maine's fuel pellet industry, which is rapidly expanding, but government actions are slowing down potential momentum. READ MORE SHARE
Widgets Make Our World Go 'Round Biomass Magazine Executive Editor Tim Portz discusses the significance of the individual components and equipment used all along the biomass supply chain. READ MORE SHARE
Report highlights benefits of a comprehensive Farm Bill A new government report highlights the economic importance of passing a comprehensive Farm Bill. It discusses many benefits of a strong Farm Bill, including those related to the bioeconomy and clean energy. READ MORE SHARE
Reinventing the Rail Car A three-party collaboration between Drax, Lloyd's Register Rail U.K. and WH Davis has yielded the world's first pellet rail wagon, which maximizes the efficiency of each train load that rolls out of Britain's ports. READ MORE SHARE
Viridis Energy forms subsidiary to broker energy transactions Viridis Energy Inc. has formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Viridis Merchants Inc., to arrange transactions between buyer and sellers of alternative energy, including wood pellets. The company has also hired a commodities trading specialist. READ MORE SHARE
Chipping Away at Innovation Biomass equipment manufacturers are striving to provide top-of-the-line feedstock-sizing equipment. Inspired by customer feedback and demand, several companies made upgrades to their products this year. READ MORE SHARE
Pellet consumption in Denmark projected to grow The Danish government has filed a report on its domestic market for wood pellets with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, noting Denmark is the largest importer of wood pellets in the world. READ MORE SHARE
UK statistics show bioenergy production increased in Q2 The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has released updated energy trend statistics, showing that 1.55 million metric tons of oil equivalent fuel was used by the bioenergy sector to produce electricity during the second quarter of 2013. READ MORE SHARE
UNEP Emissions Gap Report finds potential in BioCCS Biomass power is among the technologies addressed in the United Nations Environment Programme's Emissions Gap Report 2013. The report considers what actions are necessary in order to limit global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius. READ MORE SHARE
EPA appoints scientific integrity official The U.S. EPA has appointed Francesca Grifo as its new scientific integrity official. In her new role, Grifo will coordinate and carry out the agency's scientific integrity policy. She will also chair a standing EPA scientific integrity committee. READ MORE SHARE
BTEC, PFI: Industry must urge Congress to support BTU Act The Biomass Thermal Energy Council and the Pellet Fuels Institute are urging stakeholders of the biomass thermal industry to contact their congresspersons about supporting the Biomass Thermal Utilization Act. READ MORE SHARE
Burning biomass pellets in China could lower mercury emissions Scientists are now reporting that among dozens of sources of biomass, processed pellets burned under realistic conditions in China emit relatively low levels mercury. The report was published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels. READ MORE SHARE
Analysis considers impact of cofiring pellets at Finland plants Finland-based Helsingin Energia recently announced a collaboration with the Finnish Environmental Institute and Tampere University of Technology to evaluate the environmental impacts cofiring wood pellets at its coal-fired Salmisaari power plant. READ MORE SHARE