Biomass Gassification

for Sustainable Home Power

California is a state besieged with the threat of sudden devastating natural disaster. No, not earthquakes, we know how to build structures to limit that damage, the issue is wildfires. We live next to what is effectively the largest solar powered battery system in the world, constantly collecting and storing energy from the sun until it "shorts out" and releases all that power: The brush, trees, sage, and grass just to the east of most of our cities. We build our cities from the west coast shoreline back out to the east, and leave the undeveloped lands beyond that to grow wild.

But this problem is a potential advantage. We could harvest and burn that biomass and by some estimates, provide enough generated electrical power to run the cities along the coast from it.

There are a few key points:

Collect in a way that leads to more growth. Don't cut down trees, coppice (trim the upper branches) which will lead to faster regrowth. Clear out strips with interconnections to allow wildlife to roam freely, spreading seeds, and fertilizer. Re-introduce beavers to damn up small steams and support more life. Return the forest to the managed state it was in with native peoples before we arrived.
Chip, dry, and burn the biomass in place. Do not transport the biomass, instead, use the existing electrical grid to transport the resulting energy. This means building small power generation / furnace systems in place.
Start with a small system, show it is financially viable, then replicate.