Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Alliance for Green Heat to undertake wood stove change out assessment for West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund

March 22, 2016 - The Alliance for Green Heat received a $15,600 grant from West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) for a wood stove change out assessment.

The grant funds will be used to propose options for programs that remove existing older stoves, and replace them with new, wood burning appliances that meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2020 New Source Performance Standards wood heater regulations.  Such a program must also include a measurement and verification component that ensures existing wood stoves are removed, taken off the market, and disposed of.

In addition, the project will explore the integration of a wood stove change out program into existing financing or incentive programs, as well as a residential energy efficiency program that will significantly reduce wood smoke emissions and address home comfort and air quality safety concerns.

“Woody biomass is an abundant renewable heat feedstock which has been used by generations to provide low-cost heating for homes across Pennsylvania.  WPPSEF seeks to better understand how older wood burning stoves can be replaced by state-of-the art stoves that meet or exceeds EPA’s 2020 New Source Performance Standards while ensuring the old stove is removed from the marketplace.  WPPSEF is striving to develop a cost-effective program that help homeowners replace their old wood stove and while improving local air quality and home comfort” says Joel Morrison, Director of the WPPSEF.

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The Alliance for Green Heat promotes modern wood and pellet heating systems as a low-carbon, sustainable and affordable energy solution. The Alliance works to advance cleaner and more efficient residential heating technology, particularly for low and middle-income families. Founded in 2009, the Alliance is an independent non-profit organization and is tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the tax code.

The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power ratepayers in Pennsylvania. WPPSEF investments are focused in three broad categories:
ü  Deployment of sustainable and clean energy technologies;
ü  Deployment of energy efficiency and conservation technologies; and
ü  Facilitating economic development, environmental betterment, and public education as they relate to sustainable energy deployment in the WPP service region.
Visit http://www.wppsef.org for further information.



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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Press release: Alliance for Green Heat and NYSERDA Announce Seven Finalists in International Pellet Stove Competition




Two New York teams are among the finalists

Alliance for Green Heat and the New York State Energy Research and 
Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced that seven pellet 
stoves have been chosen as finalists in the Pellet Stove Design 
Challenge. 

This international competition, administered by the Alliance for Green 
Heat, identifies innovative low emissions and high efficiency pellet 
stoves for the residential home heating market. The competition
supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Renewable Heat NY initiative,
which is building a sustainable, high-efficiency, low-emissions wood
heating sector in New York.

The Pellet Stove Design Challenge supports the commitment of 
New York State, the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National
 Lab, the U.S. Forest Service and a number of other states, agencies
and institutions to understand and improve the technology,
engineering and smart deployment of pellet stoves to reduce reliance
on fossil heating fuels.

The stoves will be judged for particulate matter emissions, efficiency,
safety, innovation and market potential.  The winner of the
competition will be the team that best blends these qualities.  The
stoves present a wide range of design approaches, including gravity
feed, downdraft burners, a combination  cordwood/pellet stove, a
$300 stove and more traditional designs.

In April 2016, the teams will showcase their stoves at Brookhaven 
National Lab during the workshop and conference that are open 
to the public. The event includes several days of panel discussions
and informal roundtables on pellet stove technology, public health,
deployment, policy and innovation in pellet and cord wood stoves.

The technology competition will be followed by a multi-year 
initiative to exhibit the winning stoves and educate consumers and 
agencies that deal with wood smoke issues and the deployment of 
residential renewable energy systems. NYSERDA is providing 
support for this competition with additional support being provided 
 by the Osprey Foundation and U.S. Forest Service.

NYSERDA President and CEO John B. Rhodes said, "The Pellet 
Stove Design Challenge is an innovative way to advance new 
technologies that can potentially provide consumers with higher 
efficiency pellet stoves.  This competition aligns with Governor 
Cuomo's Renewable Heat NY initiative, which is building a 
sustainable, high-efficiency, low-emissions wood heating sector 
in New York."

Three stoves will be extensively tested and compete for a grand 
prize and four demonstration stoves will provide comparative, 
baseline data. The three competition stoves are:

1. A prototype that will burn cord wood or pellets and is controlled 
by sensor technology made by DBFZ, a German company, 
that markets in the U.S. through Wittus Fire by Design of
Pound Ridge, New York.
2.  A new stove coming to the commercial market later this year, 
made by Seraph Industries, a small Illinois company, known 
for robust heat exchangers and a track record of 
transparency and high efficiency multi-fuel stoves.
3.The Torrefire pellet stove, made by Seattle inventor 
Geoffrey Johnson, which is a prototype that employs radically 
different combustion and heat transfer strategies.

The four demonstration stoves are:

1. The Vibrastove, made by Noble Metals Recovery, a small 
Virginia company that is a downdraft, gravity feed stove, 
inspired by rocket stoves.
2. A modified Quadra-Fire pellet stove made by a student 
team from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
3. One of the cleanest commercial pellet stoves on the market 
today that is certified at less than .3 grams per hour.
4. Another very clean commercially available pellet stove,
 certified at less than .6 grams per hour.

The event is also bringing attention to the need for cleaner 
cord wood stoves. A student team from the State University 
of New York at Stony Brook and MF Fire, a company that 
grew from at University of Maryland team, will be showcasing 
automated, sensor controlled wood stoves.
The 2016 Pellet Stove Design Challenge is the third stove 
challenge that the Alliance for Green Heat will host.  The first 
was a cord wood stove competition held on the  National Mall 
in Washington DC in 2013 and the second was held at Brookhaven 
National Lab in 2014.  The Alliance for Green Heat, a non-profit 
education and advocacy organization manages the Challenge, 
which was inspired by the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.

"We strive to foster a community that shares ideas and data to push 
this technology forward and get pellet stoves the recognition they 
deserve as a mainstream renewable energy technology," said John 
Ackerly, President of the Alliance for Green Heat. "Like solar and 
wind, pellet stoves have huge potential in the United States to 
drastically reduce household use of fossil fuels if the technology can
raise efficiency and reduce emission levels," Ackerly added.

According to the Alliance for Green Heat, the average pellet stove in 
the U.S. is believed to be around 70 percent efficient but many of 
the most popular models are in the low 60s and the best ones are
around 80 percent efficient.  About one million homes are heated
with pellet stoves in the United States, with sales averaging about
75,000 per year.  An efficient pellet stove can pay itself back in
three-to-five years, depending on the heat source being replaced.
Currently, the federal government offers a $300 tax credit for new
pellet stoves.  Eight states including Idaho, Maryland, Maine,
Montana, Oregon and New York,  offer incentives of up to several
 thousand dollars for pellet stoves.

The  Advisory Committee that oversees the Challenge includes 
representatives from NYSERDA, Brookhaven National Lab, the 
 USDA Forest Service, the Washington State Department of Ecology, 
the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Clarkson 
University and others.

About Reforming the Energy Vision 
Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) is New York Governor Andrew 
M. Cuomo's strategy to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy 
system for all New Yorkers. REV is transforming New York's energy 
policy with new state-wide initiatives and regulatory reforms. REV will 
grow the state's clean energy economy, support innovation, ensure 
grid resilience, mobilize private capital, create new jobs, and increase
choice and affordability for energy consumers. REV places clean, locally
produced power at the very core of New York's energy system. This 
protects the environment and supports the State's goal to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions by 40% while generating 50% of its
electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Successful
initiatives already launched as part of REV include NY-Sun, NY Green
Bank, NY Prize, K-Solar, and a commitment to improve energy
affordability for low-income communities. To learn more about REV,
visit www.ny.gov/REV4NY and follow us @REV4NY.

About NYSERDA
NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information
and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and support to
help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use
renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA
professionals work to protect the environment and create clean
energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance
innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. To learn
more about NYSERDA's programs, visit nyserda.ny.gov or follow us
on TwitterFacebook, YouTube, or Instagram.


About the Alliance for Green Heat

The Alliance for Green Heat promotes modern wood and pellet 
heating systems as a low-carbon, sustainable and affordable energy 
solution. The Alliance works to advance cleaner and more efficient
 residential heating technology, particularly for low and middle-
income families. Founded in Maryland in 2009, the Alliance is an 
independent non-profit organization and is tax-exempt under section 
501c3 of the tax code.