Wood chip is widely use in other European countries as a fuel for heating and in combined heat and power systems, particularly in countries with a strong forestry tradition such as Scandinavia and Austria. Wood chip boilers are available for all scales of operation though CHP plants are normally larger serving a town via a district heating scheme.
The advantages of wood chip are:
- it is cheap, often as cheap as logs and now (Jan 2008) cheaper than mains gas
- it is a standardised product with Europe wide quality standards in place
- fully automated, highly efficient boiler systems are available
- it can be made from a wide range of raw materials, often sourced locally