Biomass Energy - Renewable Sources of Energy.

Biomass EnergyRenewable Energy Sources

Antonia Cornejo Campos

English Practice I

Renewable EnergySeveral countries have adopted ambitious plan to obtain their power from renewable energy. They accelerating RE installations and integrating RE into their existing infrastructure to reach a 100% RE mix.  To many people, the most familiar forms of renewable energy are the wind and the sun. But biomass (plant material and animal waste) is the oldest source of renewable energy, used since our ancestors learned the secret of fire.

Biomass is one of the most plentiful resources available globally, and demand for it, is likely to increase substantially as the world looks to wean its dependence from fossil fuels and on-going commitments to reducing greenhouse gases and emissions.

Biomass and its process

Biomass is the biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. It is known as ‘natural material’. Biomass contains stored energy, in the form of chemical energy - that’s because plants absorb energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis - as the plants died, the energy is trapped in the residue, so when biomass is burned, this stored energy is released as heat.

In biomass, power plants, wood waste or other waste are burned to produce steam that runs a turbine to make electricity, or that provides heat to industries and homes. Fortunately, new technologies - including pollution controls and combustion engineering - have advanced to the point that any emissions from burning biomass in industrial facilities are generally less than emissions produced when using fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil).

Biomass used to generate electricity.

Sources

• Forestry crops and residues.

• Agricultural crops and residues.

• Sewage.

• Municipal solid waste.

• Animal residues.

• Industrial Residues.

Biomass Energy technology applications

Biofuels: Converting biomass into liquid fuels for transportation. The two most common types of biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel.

Biopower: Burning biomass directly, or converting it into a gaseous fuel or oil, to generate electricity. Types of biopower systems: direct-fired,cofiring, gasification, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and small modular.

Bioproducts: Converting biomass into chemicals for making products that typically are made from petroleum.

EXAMPLES

Biomass can be used to produce a variety of biodegradable

plastic.

Corn can be harvested to produce ethanol.

EXAMPLE

Biomass is the largest source of renewable energy in Europe

Biomass alone accounts for 68.5 % of the renewable energy produced in EU-27, mainly in the form of solid wood biomass for heating:

Advantages & Disadvantages☺ It is a cheap and readily available source of energy.

☺ If replaced, biomass can be a long-term, sustainable energy source.

☺ Capable of being implemented at all levels of society.

☺ It can complement other renewables.

☻ Is only a renewable resource if crops are replanted.

☻ When burned, it gives off atmospheric pollutants.

☻ The use of wood and other plant material for fuel may mean deforestation.

☻ If not managed carefully, biomass can be harvested at unsustainable rates, damage ecosystems, and consume large amounts of water.

Biomass Importance

Biomass energy resources are easily available in rural and urban areas of all countries. Biomass-based industries can provide appreciable employment opportunities and promote biomass re-growth through sustainable land management practices.

When compared with wind and solar energy, biomass plants are able to provide crucial, reliable baseload generation. Biomass plants provide fuel diversity, which protects communities from volatile fossil fuels. Biomass power greatly reduces our dependence on foreign energy sources and increases national energy security.

General Conclusion

Every one of these power sources (with the exception of hydroelectric) has low environmental costs, and combined have the potential to be important in avoiding a monumental crisis when the fossil fuel crunch hits. These energy sources are often non-centralized, leading to greater consumer control and involvement.

However, currently each of these energy forms is significantly more expensive than fossil fuels, which will lead to economic dislocations and hardship if they become the only power source for the future.

Biomass is an environmentally system very recommendable because it is a renewable, clean, ecological, and at the same time is a fuel much cheaper than the natural gas, butane, propane or diesel. Biomass helps to decrease volume of garbage and waste, since subsequent use is used for energy production.

Thank you for your attention!