Wood Heater Design Workshop
The Wood Heater Design Challenge consists of online workshops, a wood stove technology slam, and a technology competition. The second workshop, "Advances in Instrumentation Used for Wood Heater Testing and Field Data Collection" is 28-29 March 2022, and is free and open to the public. Anyone who is interested -- students, researchers, professors -- can register now.
Residential biomass heaters can play an important role in a future, clean energy portfolio. However, better evaluation practices are needed to inform the development of efficient biomass appliances that consistently achieve low emissions both during certification testing and in-field operation. Workshop 2 will provide a forum to share information on more accessible methods for evaluating heaters’ thermal efficiency, pollution emissions, and wider impacts on public health and the environment.
This forum will advance participants’ knowledge of upcoming test methods and tools that are key to informing targeted innovation in the heater manufacturing sector and enabling regulatory agencies to evaluate the impacts of these improved biomass appliances.
The Department of Energy has begun to engage in more funding to help modernize and automate wood stoves. This is because they are so common in the United States and can offer an affordable way to reduce fossil fuels – and build grid security.
Ultimately, selected teams will be funded to design and build next generation stoves, with emissions testing taking place at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Winning stoves will be showcased at industry and consumer expos and get extensive exposure.