A few years ago, Wood Pellets seemed like they might actually become a reliable source of alternative fuel, particularly for power stations which traditionally burnt coal. Some power stations were even retro-fitted to make sure they could co-fire pellets and coal, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Though there is sufficient demand, the production process required in order for the pellets to meet strict regulatory requirements is extremely costly and consequently prohibitive. Does that spell the end for pellets as a fuel source?
It was always a dead in the water idea because nobody really supported it. For environmentalists, it was not green enough, more like olive. You are still burning carbon based materials For businesses, it wasn´t profitable enough because it wasn´t going to be cheaper than coal, and it wasn´t going to allow you to beat cap-n-trade It was just a muddled idea. I also think there were serious concerns that ´wood´ is actually a renewable resource at levels needed to supply power stations. The talk was that the demand that they would put on lumber, would cause housing costs to skyrocket, as well as make the retro-fitted power plants severely unprofitable and they would be forced back to coal anyway.
Such facilities are still being used in some parts of the world. It's not a horrible idea in countries where forests are abundant and coal is not. But no, it's not the way of the future, just another alternative for current power stations. It will be used in limited amounts for a limited amount of time but will sooner or later be replaced by whatever the next big step is in energy.
I'm somewhat of an amateur barbecue enthusiast, and I know that some competitive barbecue-ers like them. But that's definitely a small niche market.
