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Renewable EnergyA description of renewable energy principles and concepts, suggestions for integrating relatively simple
strategies into a renewable energy plan for each individual to help reduce climate change and carbon
emissions. The most vital way to take care of our lives is to take the responsibility of our own energy
foot print.
Renewable energy plays an important role in the supply of energy. When renewable energy sources are
used, the demand for fossil fuels is reduced. Unlike fossil fuels, non-biomass renewable sources of
energy (photovoltaics, wind, hydropower, and geothermal) do not directly emit greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap the heat of the sun in the Earth's
atmosphere, producing the greenhouse effect. The two major green-
house gases are water vapor and carbon dioxide. Lesser greenhouse
gases include methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrogen oxides.
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources such as :
sunlight, wind, tides, and geothermal heat which are renewable (naturally
replenished).
The use of renewable energy is not new. More than 150 years ago wood,
which is one form of biomass, supplied up to 90 percent of the energy
needs. As the use of coal, petroleum, and natural gas expanded, the
United States became less reliant on wood as an energy source.
Now over half of renewable energy goes to producing electricity. The next
largest use is the production of heat and steam for industrial purposes.
Renewable fuels, such as ethanol, are also used for transportation and to provide heat for homes and
businesses.
A criticism of some renewable sources is their variable nature. But renewable power sources can actually
be integrated into the grid system quite well. Variable but forecastable renewable (wind and solar cells) are
very reliable when integrated with each other. Renewable power generally needs less backup than utilities
created from big coal and nuclear plants. The challenge of variable power supplies can be readily
alleviated by grid energy storage. Unreliability of renewable energy is a myth, while the unreliability of
nuclear energy is real. Of all U.S. nuclear plants built, 21% were abandoned and 27% have failed at least
once. Successful reactors must close for refueling every 17 months for 39 days. When shut down in
response to grid failure, they cannot quickly restart.
The largest share of the renewable-generated electricity comes from hydroelectric energy (71%), followed
by biomass (16%), wind (9%), geothermal (4%), and solar (0.2%). Wind-generated electricity increased by
almost 21% in 2007 over 2006, more than any other energy source. Its growth rate was followed closely by
solar, which increased by over 19% in 2007 over 2006.
China leads the world in total renewable energy consumption for electricity production due to its recent
massive additions to hydroelectric production, followed closely by the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
However, the United States consumes the most non-hydro renewable energy for the production of
electricity. The United States consumes twice as much non-hydro renewable energy for electricity
production as Germany and more than three times as much as Japan.
The crux of the power industry comes down to two great machines: the turbine-focal point where thermal
energy is converted to mechanical rotation, and the generator where the rotation of a wire coil induces
powerful currents. Electricity is, in essence, a form of bottled lightning.
Energy Production: On site energy production can reduce environmental impact. Selecting the best
strategy for on site generation will depend upon factors such as type and location of the project, regional
and micro climates, utility rates, and possible tax and financial incentives for clean and/or renewable
energy.
Let‘s start with a practical comparison between electricity flowing down a copper wire and water flowing
down a brass pipe. What flows in the electrical grid are tiny charged particles-electrons. What flows
through the plumbing grid are tiny water molecules. Water flow can increase if you widen the pipe or
increase the pressure behind the water. Correspondingly, electric flow can increase if you use a thicker
wire or increase the voltage, the force that impels the electrons through the wire.
Electrical Power Infrastructure
When the term ―power grid‖ is used, it is not just referring to a local power system that feeds a city or a
county. Instead, it refers to an infrastructure that covers very large sections of the United States.
Three main power grids serve vast area of the country:
1. Western Interconnection
2. Eastern Interconnection
3. Texas Interconnection
Each grid is referred to as an ―interconnection‖ because the grid contains a main transmission system
(trunk) to which hundreds of distribution systems (local and regional power companies and load centers)
are connected. The continental United States has 10 North American Electrical Reliability Corporation
regions within the three main interconnections.
The trunk of each main grid enables ―poser pooling‖ from all the difference sources of energy, including
renewable ones. The pooled power is referred to as ―system power‖, which is tapped and distributed
through the grid region.
The electrical grid is not a
single thing but several things:
a highway for delivering a
product to millions of
customers, a sort of NATO
defense alliance of utilities
pledged to help each other in
time of need, a platform
supporting a worldwide
movement of information, and
a commodities exchange
dispatching vast resources on
a seconds notice.
The electrical grid goes
everywhere, it‘s the largest
and most complex machine
ever made.
The grid has the greatest
impact on our quality of life of
any technological
advancement, yet few people
understand the grid or
recognize it as the power
delivery system that brings
electricity to our homes,
businesses and much more.
The visual comparison is pretty direct, moving water molecules and moving charges. Electricity is really
two things: the moving of electric charges and the moving of electrical energy in the form of linkage
between the charges. These two things, the charges and the energy, move at different speeds. The
rolling linkage zipping down a wire travels at nearly the speed of light, whereas individual electrons are
moving at only a very small fraction of that speed. Electricity is not merely a river of charge but the rifle
shot of linkages sent along by the charges.
In summary, electric charges are the tiny particles, electrons, that move through a wire, electric energy is
the energy (the potentiality for actuating a machine or light bulb) transmitted by the connections among the
charges, and electric power is the amount of energy sent or used per second.
Cogeneration, also know as combined heat and power (CHP), is the production of electricity and useful
heat in a single process. To be effective, a CHP facility must have a significant heat load. Cogeneration is
common in many industrial facilities.
The electrical grid goes everywhere, it‘s the largest and most complex machine ever made.
With the growing concern about the future and security of the world‘s energy supply, renewable resources
such as solar power are becoming increasingly important.
Various solar energy technologies have been used through millennia of human history. Photovoltaics
technology has been developing for more than 160 years, but has progressed exponentially in the last
few decades.
Photovoltaics is a direct energy conversion system which produces electrical power without any
mechanical components. No energy conversion Is 100% efficient. Practical photovoltaic's, the direct
conversion of solar energy into electricity, has a history of only 50 years.
Photovoltaics is a solar energy technology that uses unique properties of semiconductors
to directly convert solar radiation Into electricity. Systems that are connected to the utility grid and use
Photovoltaics energy as a supplemental source of power offer the greatest flexibility in possible system
configurations. The supplemental
power offsets a portion of the
power needed from the utility,
resulting in lower electricity bills.
Amid growing concern about
climate change and carbon
emissions, Photovoltaics
offers a viable solution to the
world‘s increasing demands for
energy.
Unlike fossil fuel based
technologies, solar power does
not lead to any harmful
emissions during operation.
A camel carrying refrigerated medical supplies
across the desert.
Manufacturers are making wafers thinner,
using less silicon, while increasing
efficiency. Also, manufacturers are turning
to other ways of manufacturing
photovoltaics, such as so-called thin
films.
Thin-film technology doesn‘t require a rigid
substrate like other Photovoltaic modules.
Some use a very thin layer of a different kind
of silicon, called amorphous silicon, that can
be applied to a flexible substrate. A quicker
manufacturing process and the reduction
in materials makes this thin-film
technology less expensive to produce.
Thin-film technology isn‘t necessarily tied to
silicon. Two different manufacturing
processes — one using cadmium telluride,
the other based on copper, indium and
selenium (CIS) films — are showing increasing
promise in terms of lower costs and higher
efficiency.
Konarka is calling their flexible, thin-film solar
material, to be made in New Bedford MA,
Power Plastic. Konarka‘s patented Power
Plastic® is a thin, lightweight, and very flexible material that will serve as an integrated low-cost source of
power for portable devices, on and off-grid systems, and for structures.
Former employees of a closed Polaroid plant are getting jobs with Konarka, putting their roll printing
expertise to use. In addition to acquiring the fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing line, the company
has also hired the leading technology and process engineering teams from Polaroid, with plans to hire
over 100 additional employees as production increases toward capacity over the next two to three years.
Who'd have thought that instant photography and roll-to-roll printing would lead to better solar energy
capture technology on a commercial scale? Konarka apparently. Konarka‘s advanced photovoltaic
technology started with the work of the late Dr. Sukant Tripathy, an internationally known polymer
materials scientist, provost at UMASS Lowell and founder of the Plastic Innovation Center and Dr. Alan
Heeger, Konarka‘s chief scientist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2000. The ground-
breaking discoveries from both founding scientists, a manufacturing process at relatively low
temperatures, enables the use of low-cost plastic substrate films. As a result of these pioneering
innovations, the company has secured over $100 million from leading venture capital and private equity
funds, as well as $18 million in government agency research grants from the U.S. and Europe. Konarka
has developed proprietary semi-conductor organic polymers that exhibit: low cost, abundant supply, and
low toxicity Power Plastic has distinct advantages relative to conventional PV technology.
Konarka is not only simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs, a 2nd generation known as thin film
technologies was developed. These technologies are typically made by depositing a thin layer of photo-
active material onto glass or a flexible substrate, including metal foils, and they commonly use amorphous
silicon, copper indium gallium diselenide , or cadmium telluride as the semiconductor. Thin film PV is less
subject to breakage when manufactured on a flexible foil.
Konarka scientists are also conducting advanced research in power fibers, bi-facial cells, and tandem
architectures that could substantially raise conversion efficiency and open new markets. Power Fiber™ is
uniquely enabled by Konarka‘s proprietary chemistries. This innovative and patented form factor expands
the potential of solar power production to woven textiles. Bi-facial cells are the result of a technical
breakthrough that allows the use of two transparent electrodes. Bi-facial cells are transparent and allow
light to reach the active material from both sides. Imagine a glass office building completely covered with
material that produces power using both indoor and outdoor light, while allowing occupants to look through
it: providing both shading and electricity generation.
On the other hand, Sharp's thin film offers reliability, long life, high efficiency and value. Their selection of
silicon as the basic
semiconductor springs from
our exceptional knowledge
of silicon thin films, based in
part on our world-leading
LCD technology and
scientific knowledge base,
access to abundant raw
material, environmentally
friendly manufacturing and
performance relative to other
thin film semiconductors.
Sharp‘s U.S. market product
launch incorporates a
two-layer solar cell
architecture. In 2010
we will see the introduction of a
three-layer architecture.My home in San Jose
The multi-layer design will allow the modules to harvest even more of the sun's energy. These modules
are made with less than 1% of the silicon used in our crystalline lines and are manufactured using
automated equipment in fewer steps. This means a change in cost per watt and a lower effective cost per
kilowatt hours for large-scale applications. With thin film, we address the emerging market for utility-scale
solar power, especially for very large scale ground-based installations in hot climates.
Currently, thin film modules convert nearly 9% of the sun's total energy into electricity and are on track to
reach 10% from the factory. And there is room for continuous improvement to achieve even greater
conversion efficiency. For every kW of rated power, thin film delivers more kilowatt hours-up to 10%-than
its crystalline silicon cousin, due to substantially greater resistance to losses caused by typical mid-day
operating temperature.
Encouraged by State rebates, last year in California, homeowners and businesses had a record 158
megawatts of photovoltaic panels installed, despite the recession. Even with a credit freeze that's stunting
renewable-energy projects throughout the country, 2008 was a hot year for solar power in California,
according to the California Public Utilities Commission. That's more than double the 78 megawatts
installed in 2007.
Residential demand appears to be hanging tough in the face of the shaky economy. December saw the
largest volume of homeowner rebate requests since the State of California launched the California Solar
Initiative program two years ago. Launched in January 2007, the California Solar Initiative is an attempt
to push photovoltaics on a mass scale in California to help cut greenhouse gas Emissions and shore up
the State's energy supply.
Mariner 5 is shown in flight. Photovoltaic systems were an important power source for that mission. Solar
cells have not only enabled America to explore space, the solar system, and the Earth in great detail, they
also have enabled the emergence of the telecommunications industry.
Photovoltaic panels are available In capacities ranging from 5W up To 200W peak output.
The quest for alternative fuels has become one of science‘s major pre-occupations and finding ways to
cheaply produce energy from the sun is a key battlefront. Researchers at Berkeley, California have found a
way to make cheaper, better solar cells using tiny nanopillar semiconductors measuring just billionths of a
meter wide. The underlying theory is that a 3-D solar cell has more surface , and therefore, will be a much
more efficient light-collector than the usual 2-D solar cell.
The idea of achieving this by growing photovoltaic crystals isn‘t new, but making them cheaply, efficiently
and with consistent density and dimensions has proved disappointingly difficult. The Berkeley team
overcame this with a two-stage process. First they grew pillars of cadmium sulfide on an aluminum foil
template. Then they embedded the nanopillars in clear cadmium telluride, which provides a ―window‖ to
catch the light.
In contact with each other, the two materials form a solar cell, with charge-carrying electrons flowing down
to the aluminum, and the ―holes‖ (the absence of an electron) conducted to a thin copper-gold electrode on
the surface of the window. Initial tests measured an efficiency of 6% . While not quite at the 10% to 18%
range of mass-produced commercial cells, it is one of the best for a nanostructured material. And, given
that the non-transparent electrode on top has
reduced efficiency by 50 per cent, there‘s a lot of
room for improvement.
Apart from using very cheap materials, this
process also easily lends itself to practical
adaptations. The researchers were able to
make a flexible version of the same design
by replacing the aluminum with indium and
embedding the whole thing in soft plastic –
with almost no loss of performance.
A combined effort by the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the
University of California, the work is still at an early stage. But they‘ve got the theory now and believe that, in
the long term, this process could produce solar cells at a tenth of the cost of crystalline silicon panels.
Solar Thermal
Solar thermal (ST) is one of the most cost-effective renewable energy systems. Solar thermal water heating
systems collect the sun's energy in the form of thermal or heat energy. The system can save a major
portion of your utility bill. Three very cost effective solar thermal systems are as follows:
1. A closed loop solar thermal system to supplement heat to your hot water tank. If "closed loop" sounds
like technical babble, it only means that a system of piping circulates a liquid (either water or anti-
freeze) through a self-enclosed system. The most popular and widely recommended of these is a
system using glycol or anti-freeze. This solar thermal system will cost about $4,600 US (with the price
decreasing all the time).
2. A solar pool heater, popular and practical, is an open loop system. It's called this because water
circulates back into the pool, which is (of course) an open system.
3. A solar blanket, while not technically a solar thermal system, is an economical way to retain and
increase the heat of your pool. We include it here because you really should use one, to help save
energy.
The tilt and orientation of Photovoltaic panels have a large impact on the systems efficiency. Photovoltaic
modules should be oriented to the south to maximize daily solar radiation reception. Panels should be
tilted such that the greatest Photovoltaic output matches periods of greatest load.
Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt)
solar power systems sold per year.[11]
Further Information
U.S. Department of Energy, National Center for Photovoltaics: www.nrel.gov/nsrdb/
Whole Building Design Guide: Distributed Energy Resources.
Wind energy is growing faster than Photovoltaics. The three windiest states in the United States: North
Dakota, Kansas, and Texas have enough usable wind energy to satisfy all of our national needs.
Two examples of vertical axis Wind Turbines.
Vertical axis Wind Turbines are noise free,
efficient in electric energy producing, safe,
low start wind speed and low price.
Wind Turbines produce energy
from an ever renewable resource, the wind.
Wind energy is an indirect implementation
of solar energy. The sun‘s radiation warms
the earth‘s surface at different rates in
different places and the various surfaces
absorb and reflect radiation at different
rates. This causes the air above these
surfaces to warm differentially. Wind is
produced as hot air rises and cooler air is
drawn in to replace it.
Wind turbines change the kinetic energy of
the wind into electric energy much the
same way that hydroelectric generators do.
A wind turbine captures wind with its blades. The wind speed determines the amount of energy available
for harvest, while the turbine size determines how much of that resources is actually harvested. Wind
turbines are sized based upon power output small turbines range from 20W to 100kW in capacity.
The noise produced by early wind turbines was an issue in residential neighborhoods, but newer turbines
produce less noise. The ambient noise level of most small turbines is about 52 to 55 decibels (dBA), no
noisier than an average refrigerator. Towers are a necessary part of a wind system because wind speeds
increase with height; the higher the tower the more power a turbine can produce.
A grid connected system uses an inverter that converts direct current (DC) generator output to alternating
current (AC) to make the system electrically compatible with the utility grid and conventional appliances.
This allows power from the system to be used in a building or sold to the utility company as most
economically appropriate.
December 12, 2008 Massachusetts-based FloDesign developed a wind turbine that generates electricity at
half the cost of conventional wind turbines. The company's design, which draws on technology developed for
jet engines, circumvents a fundamental limit to conventional wind turbines.
Typically, as wind approaches a turbine, almost half of the air is forced around the blades rather than
through them, and the energy in that deflected wind is lost. At best, traditional wind turbines capture only
59.3 percent of the energy in wind, a value called the Betz limit. FloDesign recently raised $6 million in its
first round of venture financing. Their turbine design surrounds its wind-turbine blades with a shroud that
directs air through the blades and speeds it up, which increases power production. The shroud concept is
based on the same principles as a high bypass jet engine design that is used by all commercial jet aircraft
engines to reduce noise and significantly improve efficiency. The new design generates as much power as
a conventional wind turbine which use blades twice as big in diameter. The smaller blade size and other
factors allow the new turbines to be packed closer together in the field compared to conventional turbines,
increasing the amount of power that can be generated
per acre of land.
From the front, these wind turbines look something
like the air intake of a jet engine. As air approaches,
it first encounters a set of fixed blades, called the
stator, which are common in jet and steam turbines
designs used in power generation. They redirect the
air onto a set of movable blades, called the rotor.
The air turns the rotor and emerges on the other side,
moving more slowly now than the air flowing outside
the turbine. The shroud is shaped so that it guides
this relatively fast-moving outside air into the area
just behind the rotors. The fast-moving air speeds up the slow-moving air, creating an area of low pressure
behind the turbine blades that sucks more air through them.
Hydro Turbines generate electricity by
tapping into a flow of water. When thoughtfully designed, can
produce low impact, environmentally friendly power by harnessing
the renewable kinetic energy in moving water.
The power available from a micro hydro turbine system is derived
for a combination of water ―head‖
and ―flow‖. Head is the vertical
distance between the water
intake and the turbine exhaust.
This distance determines the
available water pressure. Flow
is the volume of water that passes
through the system per unit of
time, usually expressed in gallons
per minute.
Impulse turbines spin freely in the air.
water is directed toward the turbine
by a spout or nozzle. As long as
there is some flow, the nozzle can
be adjusted to regulate the flow-
especially in a cross-flow turbine. Impulse turbines are the most commonly
used in micro hydro systems. A reaction turbine is fully immersed in
water and is entirely enclosed in housing, so that the full pressure of the
water turns the turbine. These are more likely to be used if water flow is
relatively consistent throughout the year and the water pressure (or head) is low grade. Impulse turbines
are more widely used, and these come in three basic kinds:
Impulse
Reaction
Hydroelectric turbines are categorized as
impulse, reaction, or propeller types. Water
is delivered to a turbine; the turbine, in turn
powers a generator. A turbine is a rotary
engine that derives its power from the force
exerted by moving power.
A generator converts the rotational force of
the turbine shaft into electricity. Generators
produce direct current (DC) then run through
an inverter to produce AC (alternation
current) to supply conventional plug loads.
Impulse turbines operate in an open-air
environment in which high velocity jets of water are
directed onto ―blades‖ to facilitate shaft rotation.
Impulse turbines are best suited for ―high‖ head
situations. Reaction turbines operate fully
immersed in water. The pressure and flow of water
to the runner (much like a propeller) facilitates
turbine rotation. Reaction turbines are best suited
for ―low‖ head and high flow applications. Propeller
turbines are typically used in high flow, no head
situations.
Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping the heat of the earth itself, both
from kilometers deep into the Earth‗s crust in some places of the globe or from some meters deep, as a
geothermal heat pump in all the places of the planet . It is expensive to build a power station but
operating costs are low resulting in low energy costs for suitable sites. Ultimately, this energy derives
from heat in the Earth‘s core.
Three types of power plants are used to generate power from geothermal energy: dry steam, flash, and
binary.
1. Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that
spins a generator.
2. Flash plants take hot water, usually at temperatures over 200 C, out of the ground, and allows it to
boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators and then
runs the steam through a turbine.
3. Binary plants, the hot water flows through heat exchangers, boiling an organic fluid that spins the
turbine. The condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are
injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.
The geothermal energy from the core of the Earth is closer to the surface in some areas than in others.
Where hot underground steam or water can be tapped and brought to the surface it may be used to
generate electricity. Such geothermal power sources exist in certain geologically unstable parts of the
world such as Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines, and Italy.
The two most prominent areas for this in the United States are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern
California. Iceland produced 170 MW geothermal power and heated 86% of all houses in the year 2000
through geothermal energy. Some 8000 MW of capacity is operational in total.
To aid in efficiency, scientists have added nano structured metal-organic heat carriers (MOHCs), which
boost the power generation capacity to near that of a conventional steam cycle. It was actually research
on nano materials used to capture carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels that led to the team's
discovery of these properties.
The goal is to enable power generation from low-temperature geothermal resources at an economical
cost. To this end they aim to have a functioning bench-top prototype generating electricity by the end of
the year.
Wave Farms: Portugal now has the world's first
commercial wave farm, the Agucadoura Wave Park, officially
opened in September 2008. The farm uses three Pelamis P-750
machines generating 2.25 MW.
The initial costs are put at $17 million. A second phase of the
project is now planned to increase the installed capacity to 21MW
using a further 25 Pelamis machines.
Each Pelamis machine measures 120m long by 3.5m wide (about the size of four train carriages) and
weighs 750 tons fully ballasted. The Pelamis is a semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of
cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic
rams, which pump high-pressure oil through hydraulic motors via smoothing accumulators. The hydraulic
motors drive electrical generators to produce electricity. Power from all the joints is fed down a single
umbilical cable to a junction on the sea bed. Several devices can be connected together and linked to
shore through a single seabed cable.
After seventeen years of experience developing, constructing and operating mini hydro schemes, Goncalo
Serras Pereira, Chairman of Enersis, believes that wave energy will be the new domestic renewable energy
resource for Portugal.
"This move in conjunction with other potential partners may win significant industrial economic benefits for
Portuguese companies as the market is developed and wave energy gains competitive advantage with
other renewables," Pereira said.
Announcement of this order follows high profile meetings held recently between British and Portuguese
officials at the British Embassy in April. These were attended by the UK government's Chief Scientific
Advisor, Sir David King, who highlighted the need for immediate action to tackle the potential impacts of
climate change.
The project is being supplied by Ocean Power Delivery - Portugal S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of OPD
with full rights to manufacture Pelamis machines in Portugal. Construction of the project will begin
immediately.
Biomass and Bio Fuels Biomass is regenerative organic material used for energy
production. Sources for biomass fuel include terrestrial and
aquatic vegetation, agricultural and forestry residues, and
municipal and animal wastes.
The major characteristics of biomass are ability to renew,
low cost, low emission, no increase in atmospheric CO2,
uneconomical for transportation over long distances, and
high tendency for fouling or slagging during combustion.
The biomass electric power production uses direct
combustion. In a direct combustion process, the biomass is burned to complete combustion in a boiler. The
thermal energy released is used to produce steam for process heating and/or for generation of electricity.
Most biomass power plants are fueled by waste products. Direct combustion technologies used in these
power plants include water wall, rotary kiln, water cooled rotary combustor, controlled air furnaces,
spreader, stoker-fired boilers, suspension-fired boilers, fluidized bed boilers, and cyclone furnaces.
Biomass power plant assets need to be flexible to deal with fluctuating and seasonal supply of biomass. As
well, they need to remain reliable and demonstrate that every effort has been made to minimize
environmental impacts and maximize efficiency. Ensuring flexible, reliable operation with minimum forced
outages, implementing innovative strategies that reduce emissions while achieving the lowest operating
costs possible are the new industry reality.
According to the International Energy Agency, new
biofuels technologies being developed today,
notably cellulosic ethanol, could allow biofuels to
play a much bigger role in the future than previously
thought. Cellulosic ethanol can be made from
plant matter composed primarily of inedible
cellulose fibers that form the stems and branches
of most plants.
Crop residues (such as corn stalks, wheat straw
and rice straw), wood waste, and municipal solid
waste are potential sources of cellulosic biomass.
Dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass, are
also promising cellulose sources that can be
sustainably produced in many regions of the
United States.[94]
The ethanol and biodiesel production industries also
create jobs in plant construction, operations, and maintenance,
mostly in rural communities. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol industry created
almost 154,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 alone, boosting household income by $5.7 billion. It also contributed
about $3.5 billion in tax revenues at the local, state, and federal levels.[50]
There are still many hurdles to the profitable production of ethanol from cellulose on a large scale. Among
them: convincing farmers it is profitable to collect biomass, finding the technology to cheaply digest
cellulose into glucose, and making it logistically feasible to provide the vast quantities of material
necessary, and it needs to be on a very large scale.
The US government has mandated that 30% of the nation‘s petroleum needs be produced from renewable
resources by 2030.
Though the science for making ethanol from biomass is far from mature, it has come along enough to be
economically viable with current subsidies. Paying about $35 per ton will make it worthwhile for farmers
and others to provide the needed materials while keeping the raw substrate cheap enough to be
practical. Transporting and storing the cellulosic materials necessary may prove more of a challenge. The
material needed to supply a 100 million gallon per year ethanol plant would require 167 semi-trucks per day
and would cover a 100 acre field 25 feet deep. Since current ideas suggest that most of the biomass would
come from stover, switch grass, or other like materials, this mass would need to be collected, transported,
and stored in a relatively short amount of time. Or the biomass portion could come from smaller plants
either co-located with a corn ethanol plant or strategically located near the source of the material. And the
material itself may need to be thought of beyond stover and switch grass. In fact, some of these ideas are
currently being implemented, often with the help of large, well-established energy companies, which may
be key to pulling it all together.
Broin is adding a cellulose digestion component to its existing plant in Emmetsburg, IA, which will increase
output capacity by 30 million gallons per yer (Mgy). Bluefire is ready to break ground near Lancaster, CA,
to build a plant to produce 16.6 Mgy from landfill waste, with future plans to build near many landfills and
garbage collection sites. AE Biofuels is building a plant to demonstrate a new ambient temperature
cellulose starch hydrolysis enzyme technology. GM is partnering with Coskata, and hopes to produce
cellulosic ethanol from waste materials for less than $1 per gallon. Chevron and Weyerhaeuser are
partnering to produce ethanol from switch grass grown on managed timber lands as well as waste wood
and paper.
With maturation of technology and development of new ways of bringing the materials to the plant and the
product to market, ethanol made from biomass can be feasible and should be able to augment the current
ethanol from glucose paradigm, if not replace it entirely.
Plants use photosynthesis to grow and produce biomass. Also known as biomatter, biomass can be used
directly as fuel or to produce biofuels. Agriculturally produced biomass fuels, such as biodiesel, ethanol,
and bagasse can be burned in internal combustion engines or boilers. biofuel is burned to release its
stored chemical energy. Research into more efficient methods of converting biofuels and other fuels into
electricity utilizing fuel cells is an area of very active work.
Biogas can easily be produced from current waste streams, such as paper production, sugar production,
sewage, animal waste and so forth. These various waste streams have to be slurried together and
allowed to naturally ferment, producing methane gas. This can be done by converting current sewage
plants into biogas plants. When a biogas plant has extracted all the methane it can, the remains are
sometimes more suitable as fertilizer than the original biomass.
Alternatively biogas can be produced via advanced waste processing systems such as mechanical
biological treatment. These systems recover the recyclable elements of household waste and process
the biodegradable fraction in anaerobic digesters.
Renewable natural gas is a biogas which has been upgraded to a quality similar to natural gas. By
upgrading the quality to that of natural gas, it becomes possible to distribute the gas to the mass market
via the existing gas grid.
Biofuels: Scientists are turning agricultural leftovers, wood and fast growing grasses into a huge variety
of biofuels-even jet fuels. Biofuels can be made from anything that is, or ever was, a plant. According to
a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy, the U.S. can produce at
least 1.3 billion dry tons of cellulosic biomass every year without decreasing the amount of biomass
available for our food, animal feed, or exports. This much biomass could produce more than 100 billion
gallons of fuel a year-about half the current annual consumption of gasoline and diesel in the U.S.
Cellulosic biomass can also be converted to any type of fuel; ethanol, ordinary gasoline, diesel or jet fuel.
There is also the potential to generate
geothermal energy from hot dry rocks.
Holes at least 3 km deep are drilled into
the earth. Some of these holes pump
water into the earth, while other holes
pump hot water out. The heat resource
consists of hot underground radiogenic
granite rocks, which heat up when there
is enough sediment between the rock
and the earths surface. Several
companies in Australia are exploring
this technology
Geothermal power is cost effective,
reliable, and environmentally friendly,
but it has previously been limited to
geographic areas near tectonic plate
boundaries. New technologies, such as that employed in the Raser low-temperature binary geothermal
plant, promise to expand the opportunities for geothermal plants.
Now Scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have devised
a method for capturing significantly more heat from low-temperature geothermal resources to further boost
the possibility of virtually pollution-free electricity. PNNL's conversion system will take advantage of the
rapid expansion and contraction capabilities of a new liquid, developed by PNNL researchers, called
biphasic fluid. When exposed to heat brought to the surface from water circulating in moderately hot,
underground rock, the thermal-cycling of the biphasic fluid will power a turbine to generate electricity.
In general, this process involves first deconstructing the solid biomass into smaller molecules, then refining
these products into fuels. Engineers generally classify deconstruction methods by temperature. The low-
temperature method (50 to 200 degrees Celsius) produces sugars that can be fermented into ethanol and
other fuels in much the same way that corn or sugar crops are now processed. Deconstruction at higher
temperatures (300 to 600 degrees C) produces a biocrude, or bio-oil, that can be refined into gasoline or
diesel. Extremely high temperature deconstruction (above 700 degrees C) produces gas that can be
converted into liquid fuel.
Termites are model biofuels factories. Microbes living inside the gut of a termite break cellulose down into
sugars. Biological engineers are attempting to replicate the process on an industrial scale.
Turning Cellulose directly into fuel: Cellulose consists of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms, and gasoline
is made of carbon and hydrogen. Thus, turning cellulose into biofuels is a matter of removing the oxygen
from the cellulose to make high-energy-density molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen.
Breaking Down Cellulose with Ammonia: There are many possible ways to pretreat plant fibers to get at the
cellulose-acids. Heat and the commonly mentioned ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) process offers a
unique combination of low energy requirements, low cost and high efficiency. One of the most promising
approaches involves subjecting the biomass to extremes of pH and temperature. This strategy uses
ammonia, a strong base. In this ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) process, cellulosic biomass is cooked at
100 degrees C with concentrated ammonia under pressure. When the pressure is released, the ammonia
evaporates and is recycled. Subsequently, enzymes convert 90 percent or more of the treated cellulose and
hemicelluloses to sugars. The yield is so high in part because the approach minimizes the sugar
degradation that often occurs in acidic or high temperature environments. The AFEX process is ―dry to dry‖.
Biomass starts as a mostly dry solid and is left dry after treatment, undiluted with water. It thus can provide
large amounts of highly concentrated, high-proof ethanol. AFEX also has the potential to be very
inexpensive, assuming that biomass can be delivered at the plant for around $50 a ton. AFEX
pretreatment, combined with an advanced fermentation process called Consolidated Bioprocessing, can
produce cellulosic ethanol for approximately $1 per gallon of equivalent gasoline energy content, probably
selling for less than $2 at the pump
One area of alternative fuels that has gained a lot of interest over the last year or two is algae biodiesel.
This is because it will probably produce 10-30 times what the best oil producing crops in America will
produce.
Algae are the fastest-growing plants in the world. Like other plants, they use photosynthesis to harness
sunlight and carbon dioxide, creating high-value compounds in the process. Energy is stored inside the
cell as lipids and carbohydrates, and can be converted into fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. Proteins
produced by algae make them valuable ingredients for animal feed.
GreenFuel uses a portfolio of technologies to profitably recycle CO2 from smokestack, fermentation, and
geothermal gases via naturally occurring species of algae. Algae can be converted to transportation fuels
and feed ingredients or recycled back to a combustion source as biomass for power generation.
Industrial facilities need no internal modifications to host a GreenFuel algae farm. In addition, the system
does not require fertile land or potable water.
Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the
sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants
gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because
we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist. Some examples of biomass
fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage.
When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. If you have a fireplace, the wood you
burn in it is a biomass fuel. Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making
electricity, or to provide heat to industries and homes.
Burning biomass is not the only way to release its energy. Biomass can be converted to other usable
forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Methane gas is the
main ingredient of natural gas. Smelly stuff, like rotting garbage, and agricultural and human waste,
release methane gas - also called "landfill gas" or "biogas." Crops like corn and sugar cane can be
fermented to produce the transportation fuel, ethanol. Biodiesel, another transportation fuel, can be
produced from left-over food products like vegetable oils and animal fats.
Biomass fuels provide about 3 percent of the energy used in the United States. People in the USA are
trying to develop ways to burn more biomass and less fossil fuels. Using biomass for energy can cut
back on waste and support agricultural products grown in the United States. Biomass fuels also have a
number of environmental benefits.
Biomass Program:
Developing new technologies to release the energy stored in plants is one of the targets for the Biomass
Program of the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Two areas currently in development are known as the sugar platform and the thermochemical platform.
Sugar Platform.
Current technology converts plant sugars and starches to ethanol. Easy to extract sugars and starches are
typically found in plant seeds. The EERE sugar platform focuses on the bulk of plant material—cellulose,
hemicellulose and lignin. Using cellulose and hemicellulose to make ethanol requires breaking them down
into their component sugars. Once in sugar form, the cellulose and hemicellulose can be used by a
biorefinery to make ethanol or other chemicals that are building blocks for industrial uses. Lignin can be
used as a fuel for generators or converted into chemicals. Breaking down bulky plant material can be done
in a variety of ways.
Current industry practice involves using either concentrated or dilute acid solutions to break down the
cellulose and hemicellulose into sugars. Since both of these practices have been researched and in use for
some time, EERE believes they have reached much of their sugar extracting potential. Thus the focus of
the Biomass Program is on enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis starts with mechanical milling, or
physically breaking down the plant material.
Next, a pretreatment of a dilute acid occurs. This step breaks down the hemicellulose and starts to
deteriorate some of the lignin surrounding the more resistant cellulose. EERE Biomass Program
researchers are currently determining the best pretreatment process.
Cellulase, an enzyme that breaks down cellulose into sugars, is then introduced into the solution. The
resulting batch of sugars can be fermented into ethanol or processed into other products.
The EERE Biomass Program is also researching a process that involves the simultaneous enzymatic
breakdown of cellulose and fermentation of sugars into ethanol by microbes.
The goal of the new technology is to enable biorefineries to produce valuable chemicals and products that
will alleviate the nation‘s dependence on foreign oil and reduce net greenhouse gas emissions with plant
materials not fully utilized with current technologies.
.
Thermo Chemical Platform
While burning solid biomass has been a primary way of drawing energy out of plants since prehistoric
times, it is a fairly inefficient process. The EERE Biomass Program is researching gasification and
pyrolysis methods of converting solid biomass to either gaseous or liquid fuels to better tap into the stored
energy. Gasification involves heating biomass with little to no oxygen present. This process does not allow
the biomass to combust. Instead, it gasifies into a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen known as
synthesis gas or syngas. As gaseous fuels mix more readily with oxygen than solid fuels, syngas burns
more efficiently and cleanly than solid biomass. Additionally, syngas can be burned in more efficient gas
turbines to make electricity or mixed with chemical catalysts to make liquid fuels. Pyrolysis, causing
something to change due to heat, is another way to change solid biomass into a more efficient form, in this
case a liquid. Similar to gasification, pyrolysis involves heating solid biomass in a limited oxygen
environment. Biomass liquids can be used directly as fuel for power generation, converted to
transportation fuels, or used to produce high-value chemicals and materials. Current research looks at
reducing the energy and financial costs associated with pyrolytically produced biofuels.
Most dedicated biomass fueled power generators use direct-combustion boilers coupled with steam
turbines. These generators typically possess a biomass combustion chamber with equipment to evenly
distribute biomass fuel over a grate which separates the ash from the burning biomass. The generated
heat creates steam in an adjoining high-pressure water tube boiler which feeds process steam through a
multistage steam turbine.
Another biomass generator is a simple cycle gas turbine. This generator uses a primary chamber devoid
of air to gasify the biomass, which then passes into a secondary combustion chamber where the gas is
used to produce heat. These plants tend to be inefficient, small, and expensive compared to traditional
power generation from coal and natural gas. However, a more efficient and less expensive form of
biomass power is known as a combined-cycle biomass gasification system. Biomass is converted to a
gas, in an atmosphere of steam or air, and produces a medium to low-energy content gas. This biogas
powers the combined-cycle power generation plant similar to the simple cycle. These plants unfortunately
have not yet reached America, but with further study could be a reliable form of biomass power
generation.
Advantages of BEKON dry fermentation processing:
Significant amounts of energy are contained in biomass generated by the farming industry or in the form
of bio-waste or refuse from forest management and landscaping. BEKON dry fermentation processing
utilizes this energy to produce biogas. Organic materials that can be stacked and vibrated are used by
BEKON technology to generate energy, and up to 50 percent of the biomass can be dry substance. Thus,
exploitation of renewable energy sources that remained essentially unused in the past is now possible.
This is because solid material can be mixed into the biomass, whereas traditional wet fermentation
processing makes only minimum use of solids. Biogas is then transformed in block-type thermal power
stations into electrical energy and heat. After cleaning, biogas can also be used as an alternative to
natural gas. Moreover, a valuable compost by-product that originates from biomass processing is used as
fertilizer in the agricultural and horticultural industries.
BEKON Dry Fermentation
A Biodigester, also known as an anaerobic digester, biogas plant, or AD plant.
A biodigester is a tank that processes the organic material that produces biogas. A biodigester can come
in different shapes and sizes, depending on the needs of the people using it.
A dual-chamber Biodigester system incorporates two chambers: one is in the anaerobic (without air) state
where the bacteria produce gas, while the second chamber is in loading mode.
The three by-products from the digester plant will be:
1. CH4 (Methane gas) to be used in heating equipment, cooking equipment, and to run your back-up
generator
2. Recyclable water for general use (not suitable for drinking)
3. High grade fertilizer that will be free of almost all heavy metals. The fertilizer can be drawn off as
either a dry powder or as liquid slurry
Methane is a greenhouse gas many times more powerful than Carbon Dioxide. By using this methane as
energy you are, in effect, removing one of the most harmful greenhouse gases from the environment and
converting it into energy and less polluting gases.
Alternative Energy News - Back issues of Network 6000's alternative energy newsletters
OTEC - Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
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D1 Oils - a biodiesel producer with a portable biodiesel processor.
Biodiesel News - Two more oil producing trees - the African Oil Palm and the Paradise Tree
Edward Leedskalnin - Edward Leedskalnin's Coral Castle secret revealed!
Peak Oil - Peak Oil, Hurricanes, and the Price of Gas.
Peak Oil Update - More information on the Peak Oil crisis.
Magic with Magnetism - Professor Felex Ehrenhaft and how his magnetic electrolysis experiment.
Atmospheric Engine - The Power of a Vacuum, Atmospheric Pressure, Atmospheric Engines, and the Newcomen Engine.
Composting for Heat - How Jean Pain extracts heat and methane from a simple compost heap.
E85 Ethanol - Why E85 ethanol may or may not be in your future and FFV - Flex Fuel Vehicles.
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Solar Water Heating & Cooking - A simple, easy, low cost way to heat your water or cook your dinner with the sun.
Enviromax Plus - Add this simple liquid to your gas tank and save up to 35% on your gas or diesel.
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Hydrogen on Demand - HOD... can you run an engine totally on Hydrogen created as you need it?
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Green Energy - example on a highly efficient dairy farm.
Credit Bubble - All about the coming credit bubble and consequences.
Water Powered Cars - Can you run your car on 100% water using electrolysis? (not hydro boost scams