GC: n
CT: Biomass boilers tend to be larger than the gas or oil equivalent. They are generally more suitable for people not connected to mains gas who have some space for storage. You will need about 6-7 cubic metres of space near where the boiler is sited to store the fuel (for an average size house). To do a detailed initial assessment of whether or not it’s appropriate, you can download the Carbon Trust’s publication Biomass heating: a practical guide for potential users.
Ideally the fuel storage area will be under cover, as it is important to keep fuel dry. A higher moisture content in the fuel will reduce the efficiency with which it burns. If wood pellets get wet they turn to unusable mush.
It also needs to be accessible for a delivery lorry. Wood pellets can be delivered loose and blown into a hopper, or in bags on a pallet.
S: http://www.yougen.co.uk/renewable-energy/Biomass+Boilers/ (last access: 27 December 2014)
N: 1. “container with narrow opening at bottom,” late 13c., perhaps an agent noun from hop (v.) via notion of grain juggling in a mill hopper.
2. A vessel into which materials are fed, usually constructed in the form of an inverted pyramid or cone terminating in an opening through which the materials are discharged.
3. Chain-Grate and Traveling Grate Stokers … coal, fed from a hopper onto the moving grate, enters the furnace after passing under an adjustable gate to regulate the thickness of the fuel bed.
4. (This vessel is) not primarily intended for storage.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=hopper&searchmode=none (last access: 27 December 2014). 2, 3 & 4. TERMIUMPLUS.
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