Biomass as a Source of Energy

I. Introduction

In India, the concept of energy as " Shakti " has been at the focus of philosphic, scientific and metaphysical thought from time immemorial. The conventional energy sources like fossil fuels, crude oil, natural gas etc. are dwindling fast. The world stock of non-renewable natural sources indeed have decreased. There is every necessity of going for renewable alternative resources for energy. The energy crisis of 1973 left scientists to accelerate the renewable energy programmes.

The important renewable energy sources are sun, wind, tides, waves, biomass, hydro-power (from water) charcoal, peat, fuelwood, geothermal energy etc. The pattern of energy consumption in India shows that 56.5 % of total energy is from the commercial sources like coal, oil " electricity and remaining 43.5% is non-commercial energy. Fire wood, charcoal, agricultural residues, vegetable wastes, cow dung, urban and industrial wastes, forest residues are the main sources of this non-commercial energy.

The most efficient utilization of these resources comes when they are converted to biomass by appropriate technologies. The non-commercial biomass fuels are the main sources of energy available in the rural areas. The 80% of our population resides in villages are dependent on this non-commercial biomass fuels.

II. Concept of Biomass

The term biomass refers to all organic matter generated through photosynthesis and other biological processes. The ultimate source of this renewable biomass is the inexhaustible solar energy which is captured by plants through photosynthesis. It includes both terrestrial as well as aquatic matter such as wood, herbaceous plants, algae, aquatic plants and residues, like straw, husks, corncobs, cow dung, saw-dust, wood shavings and other wastes like disposable garbage, night soil, sewage solids, industrial refuse etc. In spite of all these biomass resources available in India, they are not being properly utilized. In fact, a large amount of it is disposed off by burning in open fields causing serious air pollution.

In order to utilise these resources properly, biomass should be converted to energy which can meet a sizeable percentage of the country's demands for fuel as well as energy. Three main approaches can be adopted for generation and proper utilization.

1. Collection of agricultural and forest residues to produce fuels, organic manures and chemical feed stock.

2. Collection of urban and industrial wastes as fuel in boilers and as a feedstock for producing methane and some liquid fuels.

3. Growth of some specific energy plants for use as energy feed stock and cultivation of commercial forestry, aquatic and marine plants for different products.

By a number of processes, the collected wastes can be converted into solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. The technologies include thermal, thermo-chemical and bio-chemical conversions. The actual processes in these technologies are combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, alcoholic fermentation, liquefaction etc.

The main products of conversion technologies are energy (thermal, steam, electricity), solid fuels (charcoal, combustibles) and synthetic fuels (methanol, methane, hydrogen gas etc.). These can be used for different purposes like cooking, lighting, heating, water pumping, electricity generation and as industrial and transport fuels.

III. Types of Biomass

Depending on the nature and availability of these wastes and organic residues they can be utilized in different manners as described here.

1. Fuel biomass

By some processes and procedures, biomass products like fuel gas, liquid fuels, gaseous fuels etc. are obtained, which are given here

a. Biomass from plants or animal origin are directly burnt for cooking and other purposes. Municipal and sewage wastes, industrial wastes and agricultural wastes are converted to energy which can meet the demand for energy in rural sector.

b. Paddy straw and rice husk can be profitably converted to fuel gas by thermal decomposition (Combustion)

c. Ethanol, which is used as a liquid fuel can be produced from carbohydrates by alcoholic fermentation.

d. When wood and agricultural residues are heated in the absence of air (pyrolysis), charcoal is the resultant product which can be used as a fuel more advantageously than wood.

e. By the process of gasification, gas is evolved which can be used as a fuel for engines.

f. Biogas, which is popular in rural areas is produced by anaerobic fermentation from farm wastes.

2. Feed biomass

Conventionally, crop residues are used as cattle-feed. However, some of them with high percentage of lignin or non-digestible constituents need certain treatments such as soaking in water, alkali/alcohol to make their use as a fuel. The oil-cakes of various crop seed like cotton, rubber, tobacco etc. can also be used as a feed after extraction of toxic materials.

3. Organic fertilizer biomass

Dry fermented slurry can be used as a direct organic fertilizer for crop land.

4.Fibre biomass

The fibrous agricultural wastes and residues are being profitably utilised for making pulp for cheap grade paper.

5.Chemical biomass

Highly siliconous agricultural residues like rice husk and rice straw can be converted into useful chemicals like morphous silicon, silicate products and solar grade silicon. Furfural an another chemical can be produced from biogases, cotton seed hulls, corn-cobs, flax fibres, oat hulls etc., which is used as a solvent for some petroleum products.

Country Attractiveness Indices

Since 2003, the Ernst & Young Environmental Finance team has been releasing quarterly data that ranks national renewable energy markets, and their suitability for individual technologies. The Country Attractiveness Indices now track the relative attractiveness of 40 countries' renewable energy markets across a selection of technologies each quarter.

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Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices

To find out more about the renewable markets, read the latest Ernst & Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices below which scores and comments on various technologies, including wind, solar PV, solar CSP, biomass, and geothermal.

Renewable energy country attractiveness indices issue 33
Following a record 2011, investment in clean energy in Q1 2012 was the weakest since the worst of the financial crisis three years ago, and grid parity is now key to longer-term success as clean energy faces a challenging 2012.

• The gap between developed and emerging markets in the indices has noticeably reduced. In the West, fiscal challenges have dampened public policy support, while developing countries are introducing incentive mechanisms and implementing national energy strategies.
• Renewable technologies are becoming more cost competitive, stimulating global activity. The price of solar PV modules, for example, fell by 50% in 2011. The sector continues to face significant challenges though.

What is energy?

Energy is used to provide electricity to our homes and can be generated from renewable sources (that can be naturally replenished) or non-renewable sources (that are used up and cannot be recreated). Energy generated from renewable sources is less harmful to the environment because it does not use up the Earth’s precious resources, and is often less polluting than non-renewable sources of energy, such as coal.

Click on the images below to learn about each renewable energy source!

Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen is the simplest element. An atom of hydrogen consists of only one proton and one electron. It's also the most plentiful element in the universe. Despite its simplicity and abundance, hydrogen doesn't occur naturally as a gas on the Earth - it's always combined with other elements. Water, for example, is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen (H₂O).
Hydrogen is also found in many organic compounds, notably the hydrocarbons that make up many of our fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas, methanol, and propane. Hydrogen can be separated from hydrocarbons through the application of heat - a process known as reforming. Currently, most hydrogen is made this way from natural gas. An electrical current can also be used to separate water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen. This process is known as electrolysis. Some algae and bacteria, using sunlight as their energy source, even give off hydrogen under certain conditions.

Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel the space shuttle and other rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean byproduct - pure water, which the crew drinks.
A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat, and water. Fuel cells are often compared to batteries. Both convert the energy produced by a chemical reaction into usable electric power. However, the fuel cell will produce electricity as long as fuel (hydrogen) is supplied, never losing its charge.
Fuel cells are a promising technology for use as a source of heat and electricity for buildings, and as an electrical power source for electric motors propelling vehicles. Fuel cells operate best on pure hydrogen. But fuels like natural gas, methanol, or even gasoline can be reformed to produce the hydrogen required for fuel cells. Some fuel cells even can be fueled directly with methanol, without using a reformer.
In the future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An energy carrier moves and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers. Renewable energy sources, like the sun and wind, can't produce energy all the time. But they could, for example, produce electric energy and hydrogen, which can be stored until it's needed. Hydrogen can also be transported (like electricity) to locations where it is needed.

Why is renewable energy important?

Renewable energy is important because of the benefits it provides. The key benefits are:

Environmental Benefits

Renewable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy technologies.

Energy for our children's children's children

Renewable energy will not run out. Ever. Other sources of energy are finite and will some day be depleted.

Jobs and the Economy

Most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports. Renewable energy investments are usually spent within the United States, frequently in the same state, and often in the same town. This means your energy dollars stay home to create jobs and fuel local economies, rather than going overseas.
Meanwhile, renewable energy technologies developed and built in the United States are being sold overseas, providing a boost to the U.S. trade deficit.

Energy Security

After the oil supply disruptions of the early 1970s, our nation has increased its dependence on foreign oil supplies instead of decreasing it. This increased dependence impacts more than just our national energy policy.

Alternative Energy For Kids

Alternative Energy For Kids

What is alternative energy, anyway!? And why do we need them and when did alternative energy first appear in our history? We have a vague idea that these types of enhanced natural resources can save our planet, but we also have heard that alternative energy may have some disadvantages that may not be as talked about as they should be. The fact is alternative energy encompasses a myriad of sub-topics that include wind, water, geothermal, nuclear, and more.

This very important and comprehensive page is sent to you from the website that loves most things 'green' (including M7Ms) - benefits-of-recycling.com. There is a ton of interesting and valuable information of this site that you will want to check out, but, for now it's all about alternative energy for kids!


Alternative Energy For Kids / Why do we need energy?


Many things around us require energy in order to function. TV set and stereo, microwave oven and electric kettle, computer and refrigerator - all of them need energy to work. Besides, energy is also necessary to make a car run, to keep the house warm or to heat water for showers.

Most of energy, used nowadays, is called electric energy. It is supplied to our houses constantly through wires; but in order to have energy it should first be produced.


Alternative Energy For Kids / How is energy produced?

Energy is produced or generated from natural resources, which are usually called energy sources. The examples of energy sources are gas, oil, water, sun and wind. However, not all energy sources are created equal. Some of them can be dangerous for the environment we live in.

For example, when oil or gas is burnt in order to produce energy or to heat the houses, a lot of harmful things are released into the air, making it bad for breathing. Besides, we have already used so much oil and gas, which was stored on our planet that only a small amount of those resources remained at our disposal.


That is why people decided to find other sources of energy, which would not harm the air and the amount of which would never end. Such types of energy sources are called alternative. Examples of alternative energy sources are solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and biofuel energy. All of these sources give us “clean” energy, because it is safe for people and for the environment we live in.


Alternative Energy For Kids / What are the different types?

Solar Energy Solar Energy comes from the sun. When the sun shines, it can warm water, heat the house, and it can even produce electricity to run different electric house appliances. In order to use the energy of sun, people put special solar panels on top of their houses’ roofs.

Those solar panels can produce electricity or heat water. The amazing thing about solar energy is that it is free of charge, and it is renewable (this word means that energy from the sun never ends). People use solar energy in those places, where there is a lot of sunshine all year round. In such sunny places as California people even built large power plants, which gather sunlight and transform it into electricity for people.

Wind Energy
People have used the power of wind for thousands of years. Nowadays wind energy is used to produce electricity. Special wind machines are built in the areas, where strong wind blows (usually it is at the coastline).

When many wind machines are built near one another, it is called wind farm. A wind machine consists of a tower with the blades and a generator on top of it. When the wind blows, it rotates the blades. When blades spin around, electricity is produced in the device, called generator.

In order to catch a lot of wind, the towers are built very high. As with solar energy, wind energy is renewable, because wind will always blow on the Earth.

Geothermal Energy
Our planet Earth is very hot and contains a lot of hot water and steam deep down beneath its surface. Volcanoes are best examples of how hot our planet is in its center. People have already learned how to use geothermal energy (“geo” means Earth and “thermal” mean high temperature).

In places, where hot water is close to the Earth surface, people drill special wells and use that hot water for warming their houses. After that water is sent back into the Earth, so that no water is wasted in vain. Geothermal energy is also a free and renewable source of energy.

Biofuel
Biofuel is the modern alternative source of energy, which was invented to substitute gasoline, used in all the cars, trucks, and motorcycles around the globe. Gasoline is bad for the air because when it is burned in the car engine, a lot of harmful substances are released into the air.

Biofuel energy is not that harmful and can be produced from certain plants, grown specifically for that purpose. The fuel, which is produced from plants, is called ethanol and it is suitable for most of the vehicles on the roads. Some biofuel can even be produced from vegetable oil, after it has been used in the kitchen for preparing meals, like potato chips. Such fuel is called biodiesel.

Solar and wind energy, geothermal energy and biofuel are the major examples of the alternative energy sources. They are renewable and safe for humans and for the planet Earth, so in the future people will obviously use only such kinds of energy.

Renewable and Non Renewable Energy Sources

Nonrenewable Energy Sources

   A nonrenewable energy source is a natural energy source in limited supply. While these energy sources may be plentiful, they cannot be produced at all or as quickly as they are consumed. In addition to these resources being limited, not only the burning but also the extraction of these energy sources has dire consequences to our environment.

Petroleum

   Petroleum, also known as crude oil, is a naturally occurring toxic combustible liquid primarily made up of hydrocarbons. Petroleum is the result of partial decay of living organisms occurring in the rock strata of certain geological formations.

Coal

   Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock formed from fossilized plants. Coal consists of amorphous carbon with various organic and some inorganic compounds and is normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds.

Natural Gas

   Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs with petroleum deposits consisting primarily of methane. It is found with other fossil fuels and in coal beds and is created by the decay of methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills. Lower temperatures are likely to produce more petroleum, and higher temperatures are likely to produce more natural gas.

Nuclear Power

   Nuclear power is produced by controlled nuclear fission (splitting atoms). In most cases nuclear power plants use nuclear fission reactions to heat water, using the steam to produce electricity. Uranium, specifically, uranium -235, is one of the few elements easily fissioned.

Renewable Energy Sources

Geothermal

   Geothermal energy is power extracted from heat stored under the earth’s crust. This power source is generally cost effective, usually reliable, mostly sustainable, and generally environmentally friendly. Historically, geothermal energy extraction has been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent advances in technology have significantly widened the range of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating.

The Gas Is Greener

IN April, Gov. Jerry Brown made headlines by signing into law an ambitious mandate that requires California to obtain one-third of its electricity from renewable energy sources like sunlight and wind by 2020. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia now have renewable electricity mandates. President Obama and several members of Congress have supported one at the federal level. Polls routinely show strong support among voters for renewable energy projects — as long as they don’t cost too much.

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Related

But there’s the rub: while energy sources like sunlight and wind are free and naturally replenished, converting them into large quantities of electricity requires vast amounts of natural resources — most notably, land. Even a cursory look at these costs exposes the deep contradictions in the renewable energy movement.
Consider California’s new mandate. The state’s peak electricity demand is about 52,000 megawatts. Meeting the one-third target will require (if you oversimplify a bit) about 17,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity. Let’s assume that California will get half of that capacity from solar and half from wind. Most of its large-scale solar electricity production will presumably come from projects like the $2 billion Ivanpah solar plant, which is now under construction in the Mojave Desert in southern California. When completed, Ivanpah, which aims to provide 370 megawatts of solar generation capacity, will cover 3,600 acres — about five and a half square miles.
The math is simple: to have 8,500 megawatts of solar capacity, California would need at least 23 projects the size of Ivanpah, covering about 129 square miles, an area more than five times as large as Manhattan. While there’s plenty of land in the Mojave, projects as big as Ivanpah raise environmental concerns. In April, the federal Bureau of Land Management ordered a halt to construction on part of the facility out of concern for the desert tortoise, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Wind energy projects require even more land. The Roscoe wind farm in Texas, which has a capacity of 781.5 megawatts, covers about 154 square miles. Again, the math is straightforward: to have 8,500 megawatts of wind generation capacity, California would likely need to set aside an area equivalent to more than 70 Manhattans. Apart from the impact on the environment itself, few if any people could live on the land because of the noise (and the infrasound, which is inaudible to most humans but potentially harmful) produced by the turbines.
Industrial solar and wind projects also require long swaths of land for power lines. Last year, despite opposition from environmental groups, San Diego Gas & Electric started construction on the 117-mile Sunrise Powerlink, which will carry electricity from solar, wind and geothermal projects located in Imperial County, Calif., to customers in and around San Diego. In January, environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit to prevent the $1.9 billion line from cutting through a nearby national forest.
Not all environmentalists ignore renewable energy’s land requirements. The Nature Conservancy has coined the term “energy sprawl” to describe it. Unfortunately, energy sprawl is only one of the ways that renewable energy makes heavy demands on natural resources.
Consider the massive quantities of steel required for wind projects. The production and transportation of steel are both expensive and energy-intensive, and installing a single wind turbine requires about 200 tons of it. Many turbines have capacities of 3 or 4 megawatts, so you can assume that each megawatt of wind capacity requires roughly 50 tons of steel. By contrast, a typical natural gas turbine can produce nearly 43 megawatts while weighing only 9 tons. Thus, each megawatt of capacity requires less than a quarter of a ton of steel.
Obviously these are ballpark figures, but however you crunch the numbers, the takeaway is the same: the amount of steel needed to generate a given amount of electricity from a wind turbine is greater by several orders of magnitude.
Such profligate use of resources is the antithesis of the environmental ideal. Nearly four decades ago, the economist E. F. Schumacher distilled the essence of environmental protection down to three words: “Small is beautiful.” In the rush to do something — anything — to deal with the intractable problem of greenhouse gas emissions, environmental groups and policy makers have determined that renewable energy is the answer. But in doing so they’ve tossed Schumacher’s dictum into the ditch.
All energy and power systems exact a toll. If we are to take Schumacher’s phrase to heart while also reducing the rate of growth of greenhouse gas emissions, we must exploit the low-carbon energy sources — natural gas and, yes, nuclear — that have smaller footprints.

Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is the author, most recently, of “Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future.”

The Consequences of Global Warming

Global warming poses a potential threat to the future of civilizations across the world. There are numerous

consequences of global warming which experts believe are likely to have a significant impact on the earth in years to come.
Although there is an on-going debate as to whether or not global warming is caused by man, the consequences explained on this page are likely to apply should the earth continue to warm. These consequences continue to be highlighted by scientists, environmental activists and organisations who demand action be taken on a much larger scale than what is currently been done in an attempt to reduce the future consequences global warming may have on the earth.
Should the theory of man-made global warming be correct then in order to reduce the effects of global warming, all countries need to work together to help and reduce greenhouse gas emissions which are a key cause of global warming.

The Main Consequences of Global Warming

The main consequences of global warming are all a direct result of an increase in global temperatures and many of these main consequences are detailed below:

• Changing Weather Patterns - Global warming has the ability to change annual weather patterns bringing more severe conditions to many countries across the globe. This consequence of global warming could include an increase in severe drought, flooding and storms which have the potential to cause significant loss of life or economic impact.
• Melting Sea Ice & Glacial Retreat - As temperatures increase, we are beginning to see an increased melting of sea ice and evidence of accelerated glacial retreat. This may not seem a cause for concern to most until you take into account how much of the world's water supply is locked in ice. According to the USGS with data from 1993, around 1.7% of the earth's total water supply is stored in sea ice or glaciers and this translates to over 65% of the earth's fresh water supply. Should all sea ice and glaciers melt, there would be a global increase in sea levels which would have the potential to wipe out a number of communities in low lying areas.

Less Known Consequences of Global Warming

There are numerous less known global warming consequences and some of these are as follows:

• Wildlife - With the melting of the sea ice comes numerous consequences of wildlife that rely on the ice or the purity of the sea. Polar bears are in great danger of becoming extinct should we see a complete melt of sea ice as much of their hunting is done on the ice. A less documented consequence relates to the actual melting of sea ice and glaciers as this would release a significant quantity of "fresh water" into the sea which is "salt water". This has the potential to disrupt sea life that relies on salt water in the surrounding areas as fresh water is released into the sea.
• Health - Rising temperatures can impact our health through an increase of heat stroke or heat related deaths. In addition, there are likely to be more deaths or injuries as a result of increased severe weather conditions such as flooding, storms and forest fires.

Prevention

To prevent or reduce the future consequences of global warming there are many ways to prevent global warming. It is not only large industrial companies who need to take action to help and reduce the consequences of climate change and instead, everyone on the planet should be doing their part. There are many ways in which we can reduce the potential

Causes Of Global Warming

There are numerous causes of global warming, each of which contributes to the increasing intensity of the effects that climate change has on our planet.
If you are looking for information on global warming itself then our what is global warming article may be of use to you.
The main cause of global warming is the increase of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere. This creates what is known as the greenhouse effect which heats the earth by reducing the level of solar rays that are able to escape from our atmosphere.
Although the greenhouse effect is essentially a vital factor in supporting life on earth by keeping our atmosphere warm enough to support life, human activities are contributing to the quantity of greenhouse gases providing an artificial increase in the intensity of the greenhouse effect.
One of the key causes of global warming is pollution caused as a result of transportation. The use of aviation, public transport (buses, trains, taxis) and personal transport (cars, motorbikes etc) are all on the increase as our population increases.
Increasing transportation use is a cause of global warming due to emissions produced from planes, trains and everyday vehicles. These emissions are adding to the level of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere increasing the intensity of the greenhouse effect. Technologies are constantly been developed and improved to allow for increasingly efficient engines which will have a positive impact in reducing greenhouse emissions as a result of transportation.
Energy production is another key cause of global warming. Coal, oil and gas power plants burn energy sources in order to drive turbines generating electricity. As the worlds energy demand rises, increasing amounts of emissions will be added to the greenhouse effect increasing the intensity of global warming. With increasing investment in technologies making use of solar, wind, geothermal and hydro related energy sources, the effect that energy production has on global warming can be reduced.
Increasing deforestation is having a negative impact as a cause of global warming as trees help to absorb carbon dioxide which reduces the intensity of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. As we harvest more of these trees, the capacity for this process decreases resulting in more greenhouse gases building up in our atmosphere. With the introduction of sustainable construction methods and materials we can greatly reduce the impact this process has on global warming.
There are many man-made and natural causes of global warming, however through combined commitment in making uses of sustainable resources and technologies, we can greatly reduce the impact the causes of global warming may have on the earth in future years.

What Is Global Warming

This article aims to answer the question "what is global warming?".
Global warming is a global increase in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere. This warming is a result of excessive greenhouse gases contained within the Earth's atmosphere, possibly as a result of the industrial revolution.
As increasing levels of greenhouse gases are contained within the Earth's atmosphere, more heat is trapped as a result of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a key ingredient of global warming as a significant level of heat from the sun is bounced back to Earth for a second time, instead of radiating out of our atmosphere.
Although global warming may only increase the globes average temperature by a few degrees, this could have disastrous effects for sea levels, wildlife and human existence.
Until recently, there were many sceptics of global warming, but as more evidence comes to light of how disastrous the future effects may be, more and more people are beginning to come around to the idea that action needs to be taken to help curb global warming.
Currently, it is quite difficult to place the blame of global warming on human activities, however, the many different effects of global warming are much easier to highlight and are been seen across the globe.
There are significant effects of global warming in Canada and these effects highlight how much of a threat global warming could be to our livelihoods, nature and the economy.
Although nobody can predict how fierce the future effects of global warming will be, we are already able to link global warming to recent extreme weather events.
The question "what is global warming?" is fairly easy to provide answers for, however, the question "what causes global warming?" may take many more years to answer. Although greenhouse gases can be linked to the root cause, we are unable to place the blame on either human existence or nature.

Natural & Renewable Energy Sources

Clean Energy Ideas is home to a selection of articles surrounding topics related to how we can use natural energy sources to provide power for our homes and businesses. Throughout our website you'll be able to find information on solar, wind and geothermal energy sources. You'll also be able to find a selection of articles covering topics relating to recycling and global warming/climate change.
A more widespread use of natural and renewable energy sources is needed to help take the burden off our current dependency on fossil fuels. The high levels of fossil fuels we burn each and every day is contributing to climate change, air pollution and environmental pollution.
By beginning to use more natural and renewable energy sources as part of our day to day lives, we will be doing our part in helping to curb the impacts of climate change whilst improving the quality of our surrounding environment and the air we breathe. Although many other issues need to be addressed, making this switch is a large step forward in the fight for a healthier world.
With increasing evidence suggesting our use of fossil fuels is contributing towards climate change, now is the time to switch to an alternative means of generating energy where possible.
Clean Energy Ideas was launched in 2007 in an attempt to try and educate visitors to the importance of the use of renewable energy sources. You will find lots of educational material throughout the website, and much of this information relates to how you can get involved in energy conservation and producing your very own natural energy.
The many different natural and renewable energy technologies highlighted throughout the website are by no means a breakthrough in how we use the earth's resources. Many of these renewable energy technologies have been around for years and as time goes by are increasing in efficiency and benefiting from technological innovation.

Some Advantages & Disadvantages of Natural Energy Sources

Below are just a handful of the many advantages relating to the use of natural and renewable energy sources:

• A variety of renewable energy sources are readily available. The sun, wind, tides, and geothermal activity are all renewable forms of energy.
• After the initial cost of; solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal energy systems, the only cost to the consumer relates to any required maintenance. You could even sell excess electricity back to your national grid if allowed in your country.
• If you're fully dependant on natural energy sources you will no longer be subject to price rises from gas and electricity companies. You could be fully carbon neutral, eliminating your dependency on the remaining reserves of fossil fuels.
• Use as much or as little of the renewable electricity you're able to generate without feeling guilty for any wastage.
• By switching to the use of renewable energy sources we're able to make the remaining oil, gas and coal supplies last longer for use in industries where renewable energy is not yet a viable alternative.
• Government grants may be available for some natural energy projects depending on your location.

Below, you can see a selection of the disadvantages relating to the use of clean energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuels:

• The initial cost of renewable energy systems can be expensive.
• It can be very difficult to achieve your entire energy requirements from the use of renewable energy, but you could get close with a realistic budget and the implementation of the most appropriate renewable energy technologies for your area.

Reducing the Effects OF Global Warming

There are many other steps you can take to reduce the effects of global warming which are unrelated to the use of natural energy sources. Many of these steps are easy, affordable and can start at home. Something as basic as regular recycling can have a significant impact on the environment whilst saving energy during the manufacture of new products.
Carbon emissions are a direct result of not only heavy industry and transport but also the average household. Energy efficiency and conservation is a key aspect in reducing the effects of global warming, and there are steps that can be taken around the home to achieve this. Not only will energy conservation help reduce your carbon emissions, it will also save you money on your energy bills.

10 Reasons Renewable Energy May Beat the Projections

New Hampshire, U.S.A. -- Five percent? That's the EIA's projected global increase in renewable energy generation by the year 2035. You'd think that nearly 30 years of technological, business and environmental inroads would make a bigger dent in the world's future energy mix.

Aren’t we supposed to be living the solar dream by then? Won’t we be driving to the beach in algae-powered vehicles? Won’t we all revel in our views of majestic wind turbines? The utopian vision of our energy future may not exist in our lifetimes, but it has to have a better outlook than the one released this week.
The short of the report: By 2035, world consumption is going to rise more than 50 percent. (So, yes, that’s five percent growth on 50 percent more power). We’re going to be just as reliant on fossil fuels as we are now. And our carbon problem is going to get worse — much worse. But the International Energy Outlook is quick to point out that it doesn’t take into account any policy changes that may affect the energy mix across the world. The renewable industry knows better than anyone that policy is king, and that the success of a growing industry is tied directly to that government support.
The world currently revolves around prices for fossil fuels, especially oil. There are other factors at play, though, that could make renewable energy a bigger player in the decades ahead.
Third World Emergence:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that renewable energy will lead developing nations out of energy poverty. So it stands to reason that in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and India, renewable energy will find a growing market. But his statements are in stark contrast to the report, which finds that developing nations will drive the energy consumption, but not necessarily with renewable sources. There are, however, some hopeful signs led by large corporations and small communities. In areas often powered by fuels like kerosene, there is little existing infrastructure with which to compete. Some large-scale projects, such as what we are seeing in Kenya, may prove that massive wind farms or large geothermal plants are the best ways to power growing economies. One look at a solar insolation map shows how vast and untapped large-scale solar is as a global energy source. Or will the solution include more small-scale and localized approaches, such as what is being done in Bangladesh? Developing nations are fairly new as investment areas, so successful projects early on could go a long way toward turning economies toward renewables and away from fossil fuels.
Grid Parity and New Technology:
We won’t have to wait until 2035 to find grid parity, considering it’s already here in some select areas. Pricing will truly be the transformative force that redefines the world’s energy mix. Once we’re at true grid parity, it will become a matter of retiring existing fossil fuel plants. Consider two companies that are making huge strides toward grid parity. First Solar announced it is developing a thin-film cell with a 15 percent efficiency in mass production. GE, meanwhile, is working to create a 10- to 15-MW turbine. Advancements like these will combine with the inevitable manufacturing gains that come with greater scale to make grid parity a reality perhaps sooner than later.
EPA Rules and Retiring Coal Plants:
In the U.S., environmental concerns are likely to force the closure of some of the most inefficient coal plants. Solar and wind are likely to compete or partner with natural gas as the replacement source once the older coal plants go offline. Across the rest of the world, coal use is expected to remain relatively flat. But in Asia, it is expected to continue its meteroic rise. Will the trend last? Residents across Asia — and especially China — are becoming more vocal about the effects of industry on the environment. In a consumer poll released in June, 53 percent of respondents in China listed climate change as the world’s single greatest challenge. And just this week, 500 villagers in eastern China rioted outside a Jinko Solar factory over environmental concerns. If the massive growth is coming, and it’s fueled by the dirtiest of fossil fuels, it’s likely the developing world's citizenry, with its growing voice, will have a say in the matter.
Nuclear Concerns:
The Fukushima nuclear crisis may go down as the single natural event that’s had the greatest impact on our energy future. The political fallout from the tsunami-stricken plant has moved two of the industry’s biggest supports — Germany and Japan — to re-evaluate their energy policy without the use of nuclear power. As a result, both nations have positioned themselves as leaders in renewable integration into their current mix. Could a nuclear giant such as France reconsider its strategy, especially if Euro giant Germany emerges even stronger? The anti-nuclear shockwaves were felt in the business world this week when Siemens cited Germany’s move as the reason the company is wholesale pulling out of the nuclear industry.
Partnership With Gas: 
Natural gas, at least in the United States, is abundant and cheap. And the prices are expected to remain fairly stable, though fossil fuels always come with some volatility. Solar and wind have intermittency concerns that can be solved by natural gas, at least until storage becomes a viable option. Natural gas has emissions issues that are solved by solar and wind. Christopher Berendt of Drinker Biddle told an audience during a recent ACORE presentation that natural gas and renewable energy plants have a distinct advantage over both nuclear and coal plants. First, they can be built more quickly and they come with lower capital costs. Plus, having companies like GE on board will lead to more investor confidence and, eventually, more renewable generation.
Military Leading the Way:
The American military has always been an incubator of technology. Now, the U.S. military is seeing solar, wind, ocean and biofuel technology as key components of the nation’s security. This has the potential of lending vast amounts of credibility for those on the outside of the debate and it has the ability to also force a scale-up in production that the commercial market may not be ready to support. Innovation on U.S. bases and the battlefield alike could eventually be sold to other nations that also seek energy security, thus spawning growth that would reverberate into the commercial market.
A New Wave of Marketing:
Despite the inroads made in recent years, a surprising number of consumers have given little thought to how their energy is generated. Maybe that will be one of the unintended consequences of the Solyndra fiasco (they say all publicity is good publicity, right?) The bottom line is the more consumers consider where their power comes from, the more they may then tailor their buying habits accordingly. That’s the hope for the wind industry, which recently launched a WindMade label that will soon tell consumers what percentage of renewable energy was used for certain products on store shelves. The thinking is that once you go straight to consumers, they will drive the market through their purchasing decisions. The same could happen at the pump, if drivers are presented with real, competitively priced renewable fuel options. This is the aim of the new initiative, FuelChoiceNow.
Building Standards:
Often the debate is about the cost of adding solar energy to existing systems. But what if the energy system was integrated into the design from the beginning? What if you didn’t need to calculate how much it would cost to add solar panels to your roof because all roofs already incorporated solar and this was a mandate for all new construction? Oftentimes, integration means that the costs of the solar embedded into the roof or the walls is offset by savings in construction materials. Renewable energy standards built into a policy structure would make new construction more energy efficient and more cost-effective long-term. Hawaii already mandates solar hot water on all new homes built in the state.
Growth Through Crisis:
It’s an unfortunate reality that change happens through crisis. The Chernobyl disaster is credited with sparking the Green movement in Germany. Public backing of renewables has certainly been bolstered by oil spills from Exxon Valdez to BP. We’re seeing hotter weather, bigger storms and more extreme droughts in many areas, and climate change is growing in acceptance across the globe, if not in the United States. Whether it’s a man-made occurrence or a natural disaster, these events often tick the needle closer to renewable sources of energy and farther from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
Carbon Markets:
Carbon trading in the U.S. is dead, right? Well, the utility-focused Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the northeastern part of the country is gaining business support, though it has become a political pariah in places like New Jersey and New Hampshire. In California, the country’s first industry-focused carbon trading program is expected to launch in 2013 after much legal wrangling. In Europe, the EU trading program has faced a bumpy road, including a recent report that says carbon permits under their current cap-and-trade system are “underpriced.” The region, though, is also considering a new program based on airline emissions. It has received stiff opposition from many nations outside Europe, so the path forward may be a difficult one. If it were to succeed, however, it could open up a new market and help to launch an aviation biofuels industry that is currently looking to get off the ground.
Feel free to add your own thoughts below about which global factors may lead to greater growth for renewable energy industries.

Energy from biomass

What is biomass?
Biomass is material from living things. This could be plant material, animal material or even bacteria. Organic matter can be burned to provide heat, or fermented to produce gas.
How is biomass energy collected?
Plant material such as wood or hay can be burned to provide heat to raise steam and so generate electricity in a power station.

Animal waste (e.g. animal slurry from a farm) can be treated to provide gases that can be burned to generate electricity. Landfill sites emit gases (mainly methane) that can also be used to provide energy. Some plant materials such as sugar cane and maize (sweetcorn) can be fermented to produce alcohol. Alcohol can be used in cars as a substitute for petrol.

Crops can be grown as energy crops rather than food crops. Oilseed rape (the fields of yellow flowers you see in the UK in summer) produces oil. About 32 per cent of the seed is oil. After treatment with chemicals it can be used as a fuel in diesel engines, called RME (rape methyl ester).
Where is biomass energy used?
About 200 years ago biomass in the form of wood was the major source of energy. In many parts of the developing world biomass (not always from trees) is still the major source of energy.

In Brazil, large numbers of cars run on alcohol rather than petrol. In the Western world, people are developing ways of using biomass as an alternative to fossil fuels. There is a large biomass plant in Sweden, while in the UK attempts are being made to develop a power station that will run solely on wood from a nearby farm. Advantages
Biomass is a renewable resource – for example, trees can be replanted or coppiced. Energy can be extracted from wastes. Biomass energy can be used in similar ways to fossil fuels. Sources of biomass are readily available worldwide.
Disadvantages
Biomass energy sources are no more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels because they recycle carbon into the atmosphere when they are burned. Carbon dioxide, which is produced when these fuels are burned, is a major cause of the greenhouse effect.
The following is an extract from a paper by the UK government's Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, entitled Energy in Brief, published in December 1999. The full publication can be obtained at: www.environment.detr.gov.uk/des20/chapter0/2.htm#chapter2

Hydroelectric energy

What is hydroelectric energy?
Flowing rivers have kinetic energy. This energy can be collected and used. Hydroelectric power is generated by the falling of water through a turbine.
How is hydroelectric energy collected?
If a dam is built across the river, water can be allowed to flow in a controlled way through turbines that generate electricity.

A dam across a river can provide a cheap, constant source of hydroelectric power for large communities.

 
Where is hydroelectric energy used?
Hydroelectric power schemes exist in many countries. They can be built in areas where there are fast-flowing rivers. These are often hilly or mountainous regions where rivers flow down steep slopes.

On flatter land rivers flow more slowly, so very large artificial dams have to be built to create reservoirs. The reservoir then provides a 'head' of water that can be directed through a turbine.

Most people live on flatter land, so most hydroelectric schemes require large dams and flood a lot of land. Advantages
The river flows continually and provides a constant source of energy. Once built, the supply of electricity is relatively cheap.
Disadvantages
A good site for a hydroelectric scheme, such as a mountainous region, is not always near towns. The building of large dams floods large areas and causes damage to existing habitats.

Changing the flow of a river will affect the water supply to lands nearer the sea. This may cause problems of irrigation for crops.

Tidal energy

What is tidal energy?
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon, and to a lesser extent the Sun, on the oceans around the world. The difference between high tide and low tide can be many metres, and the energy of the tidal movement can be used to generate electricity.
How is tidal energy collected?
If, at high tide, water can be trapped behind a barrage and then let out as the tide ebbs, this water can be passed through a turbine that can generate electricity.
Where can tidal energy be used?
Barrages are built in river estuaries that have large tidal ranges, such as the River Severn in the UK. Advantages
The rise and fall of the tide is constant, and does not depend on the weather. The production of electricity in this way is relatively cheap.
Disadvantages
Present designs do not produce a lot of electricity, and barrages across river estuaries can change the flow of water and, consequently, the habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Biomass Power

Biomass power is power obtained from the energy in plants and plant-derived materials, such as food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes. Biomass power provides two valuable services: it is the second most important source of renewable energy in the United States and it is an important part of our waste management infrastructure. In the future, farms cultivating high-yielding energy crops (such as trees and grasses) will significantly expand our supply of biomass. These energy crops, coupled with high-efficiency conversion technologies, can supplement our consumption of fossil fuels and help us respond to global climate change concerns.
Wood has been used for energy longer than any other biomass source and today is still the largest biomass energy resource. The largest source of energy from wood is pulping liquor or "black liquor," a waste product from processes of the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry. Biomass energy can also be derived from waste and from alcohol fuels. Waste energy is the second-largest source of biomass energy. The main contributors of waste energy are municipal solid waste, manufacturing waste, and landfill gas.
Biomass can be used for direct heating (such as burning wood in a fireplace or wood stove), for generating electricity, or can be converted directly into liquid fuels to meet transportation energy needs.

Truck unloading wood chips that will fuel the Tracy Biomas Plant, Tracy, California.Electricity generated from biomass is also called biopower. Biopower facilities use many different technologies; the most common is burning of wood or other biomass feedstocks to produce steam which then is used to drive turbines and produce electricity. Some generators use a mix of biomass and fossil fuels to generate electricity, while others burn methane, a product of the natural decay of organic materials. In the United States, the pulp and paper industries are major producers of biopower, using residues from paper production to produce electricity for industrial plant use.
Biomass power is close to a carbon-neutral electric power generation option — biomass absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its growth and then emits an equal amount of carbon dioxide when it is processed to generate electricity. Thus, biomass fuels "recycle" atmospheric carbon, and may reduce global warming impacts. Biopower facilities produce fewer other pollutants than equivalent fossil fuel power facilities.
Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from plants. The two most common types of biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is an alcohol, the same as in beer and wine. It is made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates through a process similar to beer brewing. The majority of ethanol produced in the United States is made from corn. Current research is exploring ways to efficiently convert cellulose (agricultural waste, forest residue, municipal solid waste, and energy crops) to ethanol. Ethanol is mostly used as a fuel additive for vehicles to increase octane and cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions. Biodiesel is made by processing vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease with alcohol or other chemicals. It can be used as an additive (typically 20%) to reduce vehicle emissions or in its pure form as a renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines.




Biomass and biofuels resource potential in the conterminous United States.

Because biomass power is produced from plant sources, it can potentially be produced almost anywhere in the United States.
While biomass is a renewable energy resource, it can have both negative and positive environmental impacts. It may reduce emissions and pollutants, but factory farming of biomass crops can reduce biodiversity and negatively impact wildlife habitat. Municipal solid waste may contain toxins which could cause pollution if it is used as a biomass feedstock. As with other renewable resources, use of appropriate technology will promote the most positive environmental impacts.

Geothermal Power

Geothermal power plant at The Geysers, California.Geothermal power uses the natural sources of heat inside the Earth to produce heat or electricity. Currently, most geothermal power is generated using steam or hot water from underground. Geothermal power generation produces few emissions and the power source is continuously available.
There are three geothermal technologies currently in use in the United States: direct-use systems, use of deep reservoirs to generate electricity, and geothermal heat pumps.


In direct-use geothermal systems, a well is drilled into a geothermal reservoir to provide a steady stream of hot water. The water is brought up through the well, and a mechanical system—piping, a heat exchanger, and controls—delivers the heat directly for its intended use. A disposal system then either injects the cooled water underground or disposes of it in a surface storage pond. Geothermal hot water is used for heating buildings, raising plants in greenhouses, drying crops, heating water for fish farms, or for industrial processes, at hundreds of sites around the country. Geothermal reservoirs appropriate for direct-use systems are widespread throughout the western United States.
Geothermal power plants convert hydrothermal fluids (hot water or steam) to electricity. The oldest type of geothermal power plant uses steam, accessed through deep wells, to directly drive a turbine to produce electricity. Flash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power plants in operation today. They use extremely hot water (above 300 degrees F (149 degrees C)), which is pumped under high pressure to the generation equipment at the surface. The hot
Estimated subterranean temperatures at a depth of 6 kilometers.water is vaporized and the vapor in turn drives turbines to generate electricity. Binary-cycle geothermal power plants use moderate-temperature water (100-300 degrees F (38-149 degrees C)). The water is used to vaporize a second fluid that has a much lower boiling point than water. The vapor from this second fluid is then used to drive the turbines to produce electricity. California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah currently have operating geothermal power plants.
Geothermal heat pumps are used for space heating and cooling as well as water heating, for residential and commercial applications. The technology relies on the fact that beneath the surface, the Earth remains at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year, warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler in the summer. A geothermal heat pump takes advantage of this by transferring heat, stored in the ground, into a building during the winter, and transferring it out of the building and back into the ground during the summer. The heat pump consists of a series of pipes, buried in the ground near a building to be conditioned or where water is to be heated. Fluid is circulated through the pipes to either absorb heat from the ground or distribute heat to the ground. Geothermal heat pumps can be used in most areas of the United States.
While geothermal energy use is efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly, it currently meets less than 1% of U.S. power needs.

Solar Power

Annual average daily solar radiation per month, using a flat-plate collector facing south at a fixed tilt equal to the latitude of the site. Capturing the maximum amount of solar radiation throughout the year can be achieved using a tilt angle approximately equal to the site's latitude.Solar technologies use the sun's energy to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry. Despite sunlight's significant potential for supplying energy, solar power provides less than 1% of U.S. energy needs.

This percentage is expected to increase with the development of new and more efficient solar technologies.
Different types of solar collectors are used to meet different energy needs. Passive solar building designs capture the sun's heat to provide space heating and light. Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly to electricity. Concentrating solar power systems focus sunlight with mirrors to create a high-intensity heat source, which then produces steam or mechanical power to run a generator that creates electricity. Flat-plate collectors absorb the sun's heat directly into water or other fluids to provide hot water or space heating. And solar process heating and cooling systems use specialized solar collectors and chemical processes to meet large-scale hot water and heating and cooling needs.
Solar technologies produce few negative environmental impacts during collector operation. However, there are environmental concerns associated with the production of collectors and storage devices. In addition, cost is a great drawback to solar power. Although sunlight is free, solar cells and the equipment needed to convert their direct-current output to alternating current for use in a house is expensive. Electricity generated by solar cells is still more than twice as expensive as electricity from fossil fuels. Part of the problem with cost is that solar cells can
The parabolic troughs that make up this concentrating solar power system generate power from the sun on a large scale in California.only operate during daylight hours. In contrast, a coal or natural gas plant can run around the clock, which means the cost for building the plant can be spread over many more hours of use.
Around the United States, available sunlight varies considerably as a result of differences in cloud cover and latitude, and also varies with the seasons. In the summer, longer daylight hours and a higher sun angle provide more solar power, compared to the winter when the sun is up for fewer hours and at a lower position in the sky. These variations must be taken into consideration when planning solar collection

Renewable Energy Sources in the United States

Hydropower refers to using water to generate electricity. Water is the most common renewable source of energy in the United States today. Many hydroelectric power plants use a dam on a river to store water. Water released from behind the dam flows through a turbine, spinning it, which then turns a generator to produce electricity. Electricity generated this way is known as hydroelectricity, and it accounts for about 7% of the electricity used by the nation. Hydroelectric power doesn't necessarily require a large dam – some hydroelectric power plants just use a small canal to channel the river water through a turbine. A small or micro-hydroelectric power system can produce enough electricity for a home, farm, or ranch.

The Tazimina project in Alaska is an example of a diversion hydropower plant. No dam was required.Dam sites for hydropower plants are limited both by available rivers and by competing uses for those rivers, such as recreation, tourism, industry, and human settlements. Because of such limitations, water power could never generate all the electricity used in the United States. In addition, environmental impacts are considered when locating dams. While all hydroelectric dams have some environmental impact, the impacts vary widely, and current regulations and policies attempt to address environmental concerns. A dam may either create a reservoir or may be a run-of-river project that does not store large amounts of water but simply takes advantage of a river's natural flow. A dam that Fish ladder.creates a reservoir may flood a large area upstream, and can change flow patterns and impact flooding downstream with resulting environmental consequences, either positive or negative. Fish migration, which has long been a concern associated with dams, is often addressed with fish ladders and other structures to ensure the successful movement of fish both upstream and downstream. In addition to power, dams often provide other benefits such as recreation opportunities on upstream reservoirs, habitat for a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial species, diversion of water for irrigation, and control of destructive flooding and environmental damage downstream. Hydropower is one of the least expensive sources of electricity and areas with good sources of hydropower tend to attract industries with large needs for electricity. Major hydroelectric dams in the United States are found in the Northwest, the Tennessee Valley, and on the Colorado River.