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The need to move to sustainable energy

February 13, 2011 By admin

In the world we live in today we greatly depend on many energy resources and as the population of the world rises, people will need more energy for living. The main energy resources we currently use include coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear energy. Even though our energy demands depend highly on these resources, much of the energy used is being depleted. There are great concerns for the future with an inevitable shortage of these resources for future generations. In addition, use of these energy sources is associated with various environmental problems.

Sustainable energy is the provision of energy to meet the needs of the current population without compromising the needs of future generations. A sustainable energy resource is a resource that is used up at the same speed that it is renewed. In general, sustainable energy sources are usually considered to be renewable and not limited considering a long term perspective. They include sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal energy sources. They usually also include technologies that improve energy efficiency. 

Most people who are concerned about our future appreciate the importance of sustainable energy. Research into these alternative sustainable energy sources is ongoing.
Clearly the main benefit of using sustainable energy sources is the fact that they are renewable and will not run out.  A second advantage to alternative energy sources are that they are seen as being environmentally friendly. This is because they do not emit carbon dioxide, which is the biggest contributor to global warming, into the atmosphere.

Each individual alternative energy source comes with its own associated benefits. Solar energy technologies for instance promise to improve our air quality, support out economy, and increase energy security. Wind energy is a clean, domestic energy source that is competitive with conventional fuel sources. Innovative technologies using waves, currents and tides generate electricity from water and are seen as being very clean with no waste involved. Geothermal energy provides electricity and efficient heating and cooling by trapping the heat within the earth.

Development into utilizing alternative energy technologies deserves considerable attention. At present, however, it is not wholly possible mainly due to economical reasons and/or some natural conditions. Solar panels for instance are expensive and Governments are not all willing to buy home generated electricity. In addition, not all climates are suitable for solar panels. Wind turbines are also expensive and as wind does not blow constantly, they have to be part of a bigger plan. Hydro power involves the building of dams across river mouths; these are costly and risk disruption to the natural environment. There is evidence to also suggest they have also caused earthquakes. When considering geothermal energy, it is difficult to drill down as much as 2-3 metres into the earth. Finally, bio-fuel often uses crops to produce the bio-alcohol energy source. Not only does this mean that even more land will have to be cleared in order to grow more crops for food, or food will become more expensive as a result.

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Spanish Policies on Renewable Energy

February 10, 2011 By admin

Following environmental and economic motivations, most countries in the world are confronting the challenge of reducing both their dependence on fossil fuels and their greenhouse gas emissions. The promotion of renewable energy sources contributes to these two goals.

Spanish governments have acknowledged the benefits of renewable energies and as such Spain is currently undergoing a renewable energy revolution. They have implemented a framework effective in encouraging the deployment of some renewable energy technologies such as solar power and wind power.

A Spanish renewable energy policy was introduced to pursue their objective of a sustainable, competitive and secure supply of energy. Their mission is to promote energy efficiency and the rational use of energy in Spain; to promote the diversification of energy sources and the increasing use of renewable energies and to foster these activities through technical consultancy and the implementation of innovative projects. Recommendations to help them to reach their goal include decarbonisation of the energy sector, increase on the research and technology transfer on energy, promotion of energy conservation and energy interconnections.

The renewable energy targets are calculated as the share of renewable consumption to gross final energy consumption. Renewable energy consumption comprises the direct use of renewable, such as bio fuels, plus the part of electricity and heat that is produced from renewable, for instance wind power and hydro power. The final energy consumption is the energy that households and industries etc use.
Spain as a whole has the target of generating 30% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2010, with 15% coming from wind power. Spain is the world’s fourth biggest producer of wind power. Wind energy has consolidated as the third technology of the Spanish power system in 2009. In January 2009 the total electricity demand produced with renewable energy sources had reached 34.8%.
Spain was the first country in the world to require the installation of photovoltaic electricity generation (solar panels) in new buildings. They were the second in the world to require the installation of solar hot water systems.
Some regions of Spain lead Europe in the use of renewable energy technology and plan to reach 100% renewable energy generation in the forthcoming years.  Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha are two regions in Spain which have managed to fulfill their 2006 electricity demand, free of CO2 gas emissions.
Renewable energy policies benefit from a number of support mechanisms. Two examples of such mechanisms include, while there is a feed-in tariff or a premium price paid on top of the market price, there is a possibility that a cap and floor mechanism for the premium could be considered.  Secondly, low-interest loans that cover up to 80% of the reference costs are now available.

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HOW IS BIOMASS TURNED INTO BIOFUEL AND BIOGAS?

January 17, 2011 By admin

The term Biomass often refers to crops grown specifically to be burnt to generate heat and power; examples include short rotation Coppice, Willow and Poplar, Miscanthus, Reed Canary Grass and Oil Seed Rape. Other agricultural by-products are also referred to as biomass, such as straw, grain husks, forest products, waste wood and animal wastes such as slurry and chicken litter. These can also be used as a fuel or as an energy source to produce electricity. Biomass as an energy source is generally sustainable and carbon-neutral if we replant at the same rate as we harvest.

How biomass is measured depends on why it is being measured.  The standard method for biomass determination of individual plants is to measure fresh biomass or more commonly biomass is usually measured by dry weight.The mass can be expressed as the average mass per unit area, or as the total mass in the total area.

Biomass is considered a good measure of plant dominance on a site as it reflects the amount of sunlight, water and minerals a plant is able to absorb and turn into biomass. Measures of standing crop also reflect the amount of energy stored in the vegetation, which can indicate the potential productivity at the location.

The terms Bio fuel and Biogas refer to fuels derived from Biomass. These fuels can be burnt to produce heat and power to run vehicles or for powering fuel cells.

Bio fuels are an alternative to fossil fuels and many varieties exist. In Europe the most common Biomass crops grown for conversion into bio fuels are Oil Seed Rape, Flax Seed, Sugar Beet, Wheat, Soybeans and Corn. A good example of bio fuel is biodiesel, this involves growing crops that contain high amounts of natural oil then through a process of hydrogenation or refining a more compatible bio diesel substitute is created. This creates a biodiesel, which can be mixed with mineral diesel then used in any diesel powered vehicle. There is also a similar process for creating bio petrol by fermenting crops such as sugar cane. This creates a natural ethanol, which can also be mixed with petrol to create a hybrid bio fuel that can be used in any petrol powered vehicle.

Biogas refers to a bio fuel gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste, agricultural slurry or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. Biogas is comprised primarily of methane and carbon dioxide and can be used for heat and power.  Biogas can also be cleaned to be identical in characteristics to natural gas and fed into the gas distribution network.

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