efficiency of photovoltaic - 20%
so photovoltaic is 15 times more land efficient then burning biomass. so we absolutely need trees to provide ecological functions. but in era of 5kwp PV array paying itself in 5-6 years(and still working afterwards), to heat water... its is ridiculous to cut trees and burn them to have hot water. 80% of time Canadian citizen can have 100% solar hot water (PV), less then 100% rest of the year.
Which I oppose; my own governor is arguing that exporting wood pellets is a net gain. Face palm.
That said, learning about biochar is on my todo list. I do forest restoration work (volunteer) and am excited to try anything which helps build topsoil, store carbon, hastens reforestation. example question: So we'd capture that wood gas when making biochar...?
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Otherwise, I agree with all. Especially comment elsethread about our existing "distributed storage" system(s) like hot water tanks and EVs at rest.
Fortunately, misc startups are trying to tap into that potential. eg combining heat pumps and water tanks, residential district heating. eg virtual power plants (peer-to-peer systems) aggregating residential batteries (EVs, power walls, and soon appliances) into grid level storage.
It's such an amazing time to be alive. The opportunities are insurmountable.