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Using Warm Season Grasses for Heat Showing Success

After extended efforts to develop and promote an economical process for the production of grass pellets for heat since 2008, PNERCD succeeded  in producing grass pellets efficiently  in the region in 2016. 

​Grass, especially warm season grasses, offers some benefits that haven’t been taken advantage of in the United States.These grasses, even weeds, can be converted into products that could substitute for others that may cost more.

Unused fields, weedy areas, or dedicated pieces of land can offer ideal sources of grass. This could allow farmers and even homeowners an opportunity to make use of some of their land that would otherwise be wasted.

People who are looking for ways to lessen their heating costs, especially in the northern America, may find that grass pellets are less expensive than oil, electric and gas as heating sources. Grass has been used in Europe for a long time.

Over the long run, when you look at the variability in fuel prices, you can see that they generally tend to be high, with occasional drops in price like the winter of 2015-16. Fuel companies h time want to sell their limited supplies at the best prices. So, they control how much is sold in order to push prices higher.

Grass, on the other hand, is in large supply and that is easily increased when needed. Grass pellets as a heating source is close to wood in a lot of ways. And it can be regenerated in a little more than two months rather than 20 years for wood and millions of years for oil/gas/coal. Grass pellets can be used for bedding, mulch for flower beds, feed for certain animals and an absorbent for spills.  

The process used in making pellets results in densifying grass into small pellets which pack a lot more heat and absorbency into a much smaller space. That’s why it can be a great source for heating, bedding and absorbency.


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​Grass Facts
·      The average home will use 4 to 6 tons of pellets for heat
·      It takes 20 years to grow a tree and about 70 days to grow a field of grass
·      Wood pellets have 1% ash grass; pellets have 4% ash
·      Wood pellets have about 8500 btu / lb; grass pellets have about 8000 btu / lb
·      Grass pellets burn best in a multi-fuel stove
·       Grass pellets are CO2 neutral
·      Grass pellet conversion efficiency for energy-out/ energy-in is estimated at 14:1
·      Purchase heating appliances made for grass or modify existing ones to address potential corrosion issues.
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Renewable Energy & Clean Water Photos:

Sustaining Members Needed

PNERCD has been in operation for forty years, carrying out many, many environmentally-related projects. Some recent examples of those include: Conservation Reserve Enhanced Program (CREP), Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Watersheds (CSAW), Fuels for Schools, Storm Water Management Workshop, Mobile Pelletizer Project, Benton School District Biomass Heating System, Native Grasses for Energy, Orchard Limestone Drain Project, Dry Hydrant Project, Rain Barrel Project, Rural Well Revolving Loan Fund, to name a few.

In 2011, the Council lost its Federal funding which had been the major source of income for us, even though we are a private, non-profit charitable organization. We have adapted and continue to do and develop important environmental programs.

We continue to seek and obtain government grants and contracts, but they always leave a portion of our costs uncovered.

Now is the time for funding from private sources to fill the need. So, we are asking for support from foundations, businesses and individuals to keep our programs and solutions going.