[Stoves] Winrock LPG Webinar

[Ronal W. Larson]

List  (especially Paul Anderson)


Today, I listened to the Winrock webinar on LPG stoves.   I expected to be disheartened.  Instead I came away quite happy.  The main reason is this (4-year old) graph (which can have a negative income curve as well - if one makes char while cooking).




	The LPG industry is choosing to pitch their fight against charcoal-consuming stoves, not biomass-consuming.   I say great. Their industry is growing rapidly - and certainly some wood-burning stoves will be displaced as well.  But there is going to be plenty of market left over for money saving stoves.  The LPG business is predominantly for cooking and these folks know their market well (as do most big businesses - and this is big business.)

	There was zero mention of health issues.  Not sure why that route.  I posed that question but it was not passed on.  I believe we will hear answers to all questions after a bit - so I may be able to add more.

	I asked about electricity - and they said that can beat LPG; a surprise.  But char-making stoves that make money don’t have to worry about electricity either as a competitor (where income levels are low).

	There was admission that there was going to be stacking of stoves - one reason being flavoring.  Again a plus for biomass stoves.

	A major claim was that LPG saves time;  so do pyrolysis stoves.

	So the reason I am happy is that they supported  those of us believe that topics like fuel operating costs, time-savings and efficiency matters.  When char-making (TLUDs and others) stoves are making (not costing) money, this webinar tells me that these LPG proponents know that won’t be able to touch them.

	The final speaker was from Envirofit (Ft Collins CO) - pushing PAYGO additions to the fuel canisters (pay per use).  I’ve been a little close to that concept and think it very smart.   He did a good job (as did the LPG top official).   I suppose there is a way to do the same with pellet dispensers  (not necessarily at the home).  The housewife puts a kg of char into the machine and 4 kg of pellets are returned (and/or with money) - if she is a registered customer with a cell phone.

	In sum, I now feel the LPG folk are going to have very tough competition against char (and money) making stoves.  The environment wins on both carbon neutral and carbon negative grounds.  I AM NOT here claiming that char-making stoves are cleaner than LPG, nor that health issues are not important.  They are very important.  Just that there are a lot of biomass-users out there who will like the prospect of saving/making money - this being Paul Anderson’s thesis -agreed to by the LPG industry.  And it will only get better when we have a carbon tax.

	I’ll let everyone know when the video is released - probably a week or two.  (see the PCIA website)

	Anyone else listen and have similar or different reactions?

Ron



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