Keith
Biomass As a Green Energy Source and How Can it Help
Biomass is another green energy source that can be used in many ways. It stores chemical energy from the sun and can be burned as fuel or heat. It can be replenished by planting trees and agricultural crops. However, biomass burning releases sequestered carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides.
These gases are harmful to the atmosphere and are released during the process of burning biomass. This article will discuss some of the main types of biomass used for energy.
Geothermal energy
The United States is the world's largest producer of geothermal energy. The United States is home to the world's largest geothermal development, known as “The Geysers.”
While it's not technically a geyser, the energy produced by these natural hot springs is still hot enough to heat the world's largest city. Iceland, meanwhile, has been exploiting its geothermal resources since 1907. Its five geothermal power plants provide about 25% of the country's electricity.
Compared to conventional forms of power generation, geothermal plants are more energy-efficient. Flash steam power plants, for example, use steam directly from underground reservoirs.
This method is more energy-efficient than the dry steam model since the water is under lower pressure than it would be underground. The vaporized water drives a turbine. The remaining water is flashed in a separate tank and used for heating sidewalks in cold winters.
The Earth's core contains a large amount of heat, which is naturally released. The Earth's core is about ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit (degrees Celsius).
The hot water is then piped up to buildings to heat them. This energy source is also popular in industrial settings where hot water is necessary for process. Geothermal energy is renewable. The heat can be reused and used again to generate electricity.
The technical regulation of geothermal resources is overseen by the CREG, or the National Research and Development Council, a government agency that encourages subsoil exploration and surveying of existing geothermal resources.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy, meanwhile, sets standards for geothermal facilities and ensures their quality and safety. In addition, nearly one hundred new geothermal power plants are being planned in the country.
Hydropower
Hydropower as a green energy source is a natural way to create electricity without disrupting ecosystems and local communities. The water is channeled through a dam or reservoir, where it gains potential energy before spilling and kinetic energy during its descent.
The water then spins turbine blades that produce electricity. The power is then distributed to power plant customers. Hydropower plants are generally located near bodies of water.
Some sources of GHGs associated with hydropower include forest clearance and the sourcing of materials. Another source of emissions is methane produced by inundated vegetation.
The carbon footprint from hydropower is comparable to that of coal plants in the first decade after construction. Researchers at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands studied over 1,500 hydropower dams to determine the carbon footprint of each facility. In some cases, hydro emissions are higher than those of coal plants.
Many projects are promoted with the claim of local benefits. However, the hydropower industry has a rocky human rights record. Currently, it is the most notorious industry in the renewable energy sector when it comes to human rights.
Various human rights allegations range from abuse of land rights to unsafe labour practices. Many of these conflicts also involve the right of local people to make their own decisions about projects. Those who oppose hydropower projects frequently complain about lack of consultation and questionable promises.
A typical hydropower facility is designed to capture surplus electrical energy and store it in a large water reservoir. This reservoir can store enormous amounts of renewable energy for months.
Pumped storage hydropower is a renewable energy source that collects excess energy and can be used at night or during gentle breezes. A single reservoir can store up to 553 gigawatt-hours of energy, enough to power the video gaming activity of every citizen in the United States for about a week.
Solar energy
Many renewable energy sources can benefit the environment. Solar energy, for example, has the potential to directly warm our homes. Because we need heat below 60oC, much of the energy we use for heating is from solar sources.
Additionally, solar energy can meet the need for heat above 60oC. This can help reduce the demand for electricity and cut fossil fuel consumption. In addition, solar energy can be harnessed to power industrial processes.
In California, the Tessera Solar plant, which is 709 MWe, was approved in 2010. AES Solar, a company that produces solar PV, decided to build Mount Signal Solar, a 537 GWh/yr facility in the Mojave Desert. However, solar PV can suffer from low solar capacity factors because diffuse solar input is interrupted by clouds or night.
Nevertheless, heat storage with molten salt may mitigate this problem. While solar energy costs approximately double that of conventional sources, solar power can be made economically viable once carbon emissions are priced.
The development of solar energy has spurred widespread support for renewable energy. In Australia, the Snowy Mountains hydro scheme provides 3.5% of the country's electricity and irrigation.
In Europe, wind turbines have been controversial, and are not regarded as a welcome addition to the landscape. However, non-fossil fuel obligations in Europe have led to major offshore wind farms. This makes renewable energy more competitive and cheaper.
With subsidies and incentives, solar PV has become a viable option for many homeowners and businesses. According to the World Energy Council, there are currently 260 MWe projects under construction in the US.
According to the World Energy Council, solar energy is “the future of electricity,” and is an excellent alternative to fossil fuel power. But what will we do when solar PV is no longer cost-effective? In the US, it is the best option for homeowners and businesses looking for a way to reduce energy costs.
Wind power
The process of converting wind energy into electricity is known as wind power. It uses modern wind turbines to capture the wind's kinetic energy and transform it into usable electricity. Windmills, which can be large and complex, convert kinetic energy from the wind to electricity.
Windmills are most commonly three-bladed, horizontal axis models. The windmills are supported by steel towers, which can be either cylindrical or lattice.
Wind power is capital-intensive. While there are no fuel costs, the price of wind energy is more stable than that of fossil fuels. Wind power's average cost per unit of electric power requires consideration of many factors.
These include the cost of construction, installation, transmission facilities, borrowing costs, and return to investors. Another component is the estimated annual production.
This number must be averaged over the equipment's expected useful life, which is often 20 years. In addition, estimates of the cost of energy are highly dependent on a number of assumptions.
Although wind power has been slow to catch on in the United States, it is becoming the cheapest form of energy in many areas. In the southwest, for example, a single ridge can provide as much wind-generated electricity as California does today.
In fact, the state of Texas leads all states when it comes to installed wind energy capacity. In 2019, wind energy is projected to be the largest renewable source of electricity in the U.S., surpassing hydropower. By 2020, wind energy will produce eight percent of the country's electricity.
The total amount of economically available wind power exceeds the amount of human power used from all sources combined. However, wind strength varies from place to place. For a single wind turbine to produce ten MW of electricity, a wind farm needs 36,000 acres of land to complete.
However, because wind farms require thousands of acres of land, the land in between the turbines is still available for agriculture and grazing.
Biomass
There are numerous advantages of biomass as a green energy source. Most of the biomass energy crops are food crops. Sugar cane, corn, soy, canola, and canola oil are among the most common energy crops.
Moreover, biomass fuels are renewable and do not permanently deplete the Earth's resources. On the other hand, fossil fuels take millions of years to produce. Therefore, biomass fuels are an ideal alternative to fossil fuels in many ways.
Although biomass has many advantages over fossil fuels, it is not a perfect green energy source. Some biomass plants have high carbon emissions despite being carbon neutral. Other biomass plants have high-efficiency boilers that are fueled by biomass and cannot be converted into energy.
Biomass is considered a green energy source if it can replace fossil fuels and be sourced locally. However, its use is not always recommended, especially in developing countries.
A group of leading scientists wrote to Congress about the benefits of biomass as a green energy source. Using forest residues to produce ethanol reduces CO2 emissions, while the thinning of trees reduces wildfire risk. Further, biomass can help local economies and provide new markets for farmers.
Biomass is also a valuable green energy source that reduces our dependency on fossil fuels and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
A wide range of renewable resources can be turned into energy. Plants are an excellent source of biomass. They produce energy when burned, while some can be turned into biofuels and converted into liquid fuels.
Other biomass resources include landfill fumes, which contain methane and other pollutants. The benefits of biomass as a green energy source are obvious and should be explored further. The potential for biomass is huge!
Sources:
https://www.energysage.com/wind-energy/cost-of-wind-power/
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-11/documents/biomass_benefitsv2forweb.pdf
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/26478.pdf
https://www.istockphoto.com/article/biofuel-inventions?as_channel=affiliate
