The Generator has always encouraged readers to experiment as a way of testing the theories expounded by various guests. Dieter Horstmann of Byron New Energy has always been one of our most responsive listeners, and the Byron New Energy project that he supports on his land in Tyagrah on the northern NSW coast is a living example of a collective of individuals testing solutions to global problems in their own back yard.
This week, Dieter has excelled himself. In response to the news story about a NZ venture to microwave biomass and produce charcoal, Dieter took himself outside, grabbed a large handfull of grass clippings and threw them into the microwave.
He not only sent us a photograph of the results to share with you. He drove into the studio (on his no carbon, electric motor cycle) to show them to us first hand (cracked plate and all). Thanks to Dieter's pioneering efforts you don't have to try this at home, kids, we already know the results.
Of course, we have already raised the issue of dedicating resources to growing forests (or any other biomass) simply to expend more energy microwaving it on the basis that the net result is a reduction in global carbon dioxide. Tim Flannery disagrees with us, so what more can we say?
