Biomass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about biomass as a renewable energy source. For the use of the term in ecology, see Biomass (ecology).
Renewable energy

Biofuel Biomass Geothermal Hydroelectricity Solar energy Tidal power Wave power Wind power

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Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms.[1]As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such asbiofuel. In the first sense, biomass is plant matter used to generate electricity with steam turbines & gasifiers or produce heat, usually by direct combustion. Examples include forest residues (such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps), yard clippings, wood chips and even municipal solid waste. In the second sense, biomass includes plant or animal matter that can be converted into fibers or other industrialchemicals, including biofuels. Industrial biomass can be grown from numerous types of plants, includingmiscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane,[2] and a variety of tree species, ranging from eucalyptus to oil palm (palm oil).
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Biomass sources

Wood is a typical source of biomass

Biomass is carbon, hydrogen and oxygen based. Biomass energy is derived from five distinct energy sources: garbage, wood, waste, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels. Wood energy is derived both from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams. 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. Waste energy is the second-largest source of biomass energy. The main contributors of waste energy are municipal solid waste (MSW), manufacturing waste, and landfill gas. Biomass alcohol fuel, or ethanol, is derived primarily from sugarcaneand corn. It can be used directly as a fuel or as an additive to gasoline.[3] Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. 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.[4] Also, Biomass to liquids (BTLs) and cellulosic ethanol are still under research. [5][6] The biomass used for electricity production ranges by region.[7] Forest by products, such as wood residues, are popular in theUnited States.[7] Agricultural waste is common in Mauritius (sugar cane residue) and Southeast Asia (rice husks).[7] Animal husbandry residues, such as poultry litter, is popular in the UK.[7]

Hydroelectricity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gordon Dam in Tasmania is a large hydro facility, with an installed capacity of430 MW.

Renewable energy

Biofuel Biomass Geothermal Hydroelectricity Solar energy Tidal power Wave power Wind power

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Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a

considerably lower output level of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than fossil fuel powered energy plants. Worldwide, an installed capacity of 777 GWe supplied 2998 TWh of hydroelectricity in 2006.[1] This was approximately 20% of the world's electricity, and accounted for about 88% of electricity from renewable sources

Geothermal energy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steam rising from the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station in Iceland.

Renewable energy

Biofuel Biomass Geothermal Hydroelectricity Solar energy Tidal power Wave power Wind power

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Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive decay of minerals (80%).[1] Thegeothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface. From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing sincePaleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation. Worldwide, about 10,715megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24 countries. An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications.[2] Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly,[3] but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels. The Earth's geothermal resources are theoretically more than adequate to supply humanity's energy needs, but only a very small fraction may be profitably exploited. Drilling and exploration for deep resources is very expensive.[citation needed] Forecasts for the future of geothermal power depend on assumptions about technology, energy prices, subsidies, and interest rates. The adjective geothermal originates from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat

Geothermal heat pump

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about using heat pumps to heat and cool buildings using the earth as a heat reservoir. For generation of electricity from genuine geothermal energy from hot rocks, see geothermal power. For using energy from hot rocks to heat directly, see geothermal heating.

Ground source heating and cooling

Ground source heating and cooling

A geothermal heat pump, ground source heat pump (GSHP), or ground heat pump[1] is a central heating and/or cooling system that pumps heat to or from the ground. It uses the earth as a heat source (in the winter) or a heat sink (in the summer). This design takes advantage of the moderate temperatures in the ground to boost efficiency and reduce the operational costs of heating and cooling systems, and may be combined with solar heating to form a geosolar system with even greater efficiency. Ground source heat pumps are also known as "geothermal heat pumps" although, strictly, the heat does not come from the centre of the Earth, but from the Sun. They are also known by other names, including geoexchange, earth-coupled, earth energy systems. The engineering and scientific communities prefer the terms "geoexchange" or "ground source heat pumps" to avoid confusion with traditional geothermal power, which uses a high temperature heat source to generate electricity.[2] Ground source heat pumps harvest heat absorbed at the Earth's surface from solar energy. The temperature in the ground below 6 metres (20 ft) is equal to the mean annual air temperature at that latitude at the surface.

Depending on latitude, the temperature beneath the upper 6 metres (20 ft) of Earth's surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between 10 and 16 C (50 and 60 F),[3]if the temperature is undisturbed by the presence of a heat pump. Like a refrigerator or air conditioner, these systems use a heat pump to force the transfer of heat from the ground. Heat pumps can transfer heat from a cool space to a warm space, against the natural direction of flow, or they can enhance the natural flow of heat from a warm area to a cool one. The core of the heat pump is a loop of refrigerant pumped through a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle that moves heat. Heat pumps are always more efficient at heating than pure electric heaters, even when extracting heat from cold winter air. But unlike an air-source heat pump, which transfers heat to or from the outside air, a ground source heat pump exchanges heat with the ground. This is much more energy-efficient because underground temperatures are more stable than air temperatures through the year. Seasonal variations drop off with depth and disappear below seven meters due tothermal inertia.[4] Like a cave, the shallow ground temperature is warmer than the air above during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. A ground source heat pump extracts ground heat in the winter (for heating) and transfers heat back into the ground in the summer (for cooling). Some systems are designed to operate in one mode only, heating or cooling, depending on climate. The geothermal pump systems reach fairly high Coefficient of performance (CoP), 3-6, on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 1.75-2.5 for air-source heat pumps on cool days.[5] Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are among the most energy efficient technologies for providing HVAC and water heating.[6][7] Actual CoP of a geothermal system which includes the power required to circulate the fluid through the underground tubes can be lower than 2.5. The setup costs are higher than for conventional systems, but the difference is usually returned in energy savings in 3 to 10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop.[8] As of 2004, there are over a million units installed worldwide providing 12 GW of thermal capacity, with an annual growth rate of 10%

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power,hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used. Solar powered electrical generation relies on heat engines and photovoltaics. Solar energy's uses are limited only by human ingenuity. A partial list of solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water viadistillation and disinfection, daylighting, solar hot water, solar cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.To harvest the solar energy, the most common way is to use solar panels.

Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solardepending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air

Microgeneration
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sustainable energy Renewable energy Anaerobic digestion Biomass Hydroelectricity Geothermal Solar Tidal Wave Wind Energy conservation Cogeneration Energy efficiency Geothermal Green building Microgeneration Passive Solar Organic Rankine Cycle Sustainable transport Biofuel Electric vehicles Plug-in hybrids Environment Portal
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Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power. Although this may be motivated by practical considerations, such as unreliable grid power or long distance from the grid, the term is mainly used currently for environmentally-conscious approaches that aspire to zero or low-carbonfootprints

Organic Rankine Cycle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thermodynamics

Branches[show]

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The Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is named for its use of an organic, high molecular mass fluid with a liquidvapor phase change, or boiling point, occurring at a lower temperature than the water-steam phase change. The fluid allows Rankine cycle heat recovery from lower temperature sources such as biomass combustion, industrial waste heat, geothermal heat, solar ponds etc. The low-temperature heat is converted into useful work, that can itself be converted into electricity. A prototype was first developed and exhibited in 1961 by solar engineers Harry Zvi Tabor andLucien Bronicki.

Conventional energy sources include oil, gas and coal. The pace and scale of conventional energy development has increased dramatically in Canada over the past decade, particularly in Alberta due to the booming oil sands industry. Developing these resources responsibly requires that the negative environmental, social and economic impacts be minimized

Zero-energy building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Zero energy building)

BedZED zero energy housing in theUK

A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB), or Net Zero Building, is a popular term to describe a building with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually.[1] Zero energy buildings can be independent from the energy grid supply. Energy can be harvested on-siteusually through a combination of energy producing technologies like Solar and Windwhile reducing the overall use of energy with extremely efficient HVAC and Lighting technologies. The zero-energy design principle is becoming more practical to adopt due to the increasing costs of traditional fossil fuels and their negative impact on the planet's climate and ecological balance. The zero net energy consumption principle is gaining considerable interest as renewable energy harvesting is a means to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional building consumes 40% of the total fossil energy in the US and European Union.[2][3] In developing countries many people have to live in zero-energy buildings out of necessity. Many people live in huts, yurts, tents and caves exposed to temperature extremes and without access to electricity. These conditions and the limited size of living quarters would be considered uncomfortable in the developed countries

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solarradiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the availablerenewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used. Solar powered electrical generation relies on heat engines and photovoltaics. Solar energy's uses are limited only by human ingenuity. A partial list of solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water via distillation and disinfection, daylighting, solar hot water, solar cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.To harvest the solar energy, the most common way is to use solar panels. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), or plug-in hybrid is a hybrid vehicle which utilizes rechargeable batteries, or another energy storage device, that can be restored to full charge by connecting a plug to an external electric power source (usually a normal electric wall socket). A PHEV shares the characteristics of both a conventional hybrid electric vehicle, having an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE); and of an all-electric vehicle, having a plug to connect to the electrical grid. Most PHEVs on the road today are passenger cars, but there are also PHEV versions of commercial vehicles and vans, utility trucks, buses, trains, motorcycles, scooters, and military vehicles. The cost for electricity to power plug-in hybrids for all-electric operation has been estimated at less than one quarter of the cost of gasoline.
[2][3] [1]

Compared to conventional vehicles, PHEVs reduce air

pollution locally and dependence on petroleum. PHEVs may reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute toglobal warming, compared with conventional vehicles. PHEVs also eliminate the problem

of range anxiety associated to all-electric vehicles, because the combustion engine works as a backup when the batteries are depleted, giving PHEVs driving range comparable to other vehicles with gasoline tanks.
[4][5][6]

Plug-in hybrids use no fossil fuel during their all-electric range and produce lower greenhouse

gas emissions if their batteries are charged from renewable electricity. Other benefits include improved national energy security, fewer fill-ups at the filling station, the convenience of home recharging, opportunities to provide emergency backup power in the home, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications

The term passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling.
[4] [2][3] [1]

It results in ultra-low energy

A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is

used in Switzerland. The standard is not confined to residential properties; several office buildings, schools,kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to the standard. Passive design is not an attachment or supplement to architectural design, but a design process that is integrated with architectural design. refurbishments. Estimates of the number of Passivhaus buildings around the world in late 2008 ranged from 15,000 to 20,000 structures.
[1] [6][7] [5]

Although it is mostly applied to new buildings, it has also been used for

As of August 2010, there were approximately 25,000 such certified structures of all

types in Europe, while in the United States there were only 13, with a few dozens more under construction. The vast majority of passive structures have been built in German-speaking countries
[6]

and Scandinavia.

A Low-energy vehicle is any type of vehicle that uses less energy than a regular fossil fuel vehicle. Higher efficiency can be achieved by changing the vehicle's design, and/or by modifying its powertrain. Energy consumption as low as 5-12.5 kWh/100 km (180-450 kJ/km) is achieved directly by battery electric microcars. When comparing the efficiency of electric cars with IC cars the efficiency of the power generation has to be considered, for example the distribution efficiency for Europe is about 40%, overall energy consumption of electric cars lies in the range 0.45 to 1.1 MJ/km. (Average energy efficiency of US plants 33% US DOE (ref to follow) US grid transmission loss 9.5%, UK grid transmission loss 7.4 (ref Wikipedia national grid entry) - transmission losses not included in electric car efficiency figure.) By the year 2050, consumption levels of 1.6 l/100 km (0.64 MJ/km) in diesel-fuelled cars and 2 l/100 km (0.7 MJ/km) in petrol-fuelled cars are deemed feasible. petrol and diesel cars also need to be increased by 18%
[3] [2] [1]

so the

The energy consumption figures for

to represent the oil used in processing and

distributing oil-based fuel, to 0.75 MJ/km for diesel, and 0.82 MJ/km for petrol. To put these consumption figures into perspective a consumption of 1000 km/litre (2350 mpg US) is 0.0344 MJ/km, excluding distribution energy. At 20 km/h it would take 50 hours to travel 1000 km, so with a 20% efficient internal combustion engine it would need to attain and keep this speed using just 38.2 watts

An absorption refrigerator is a refrigerator that uses a heat source (e.g., solar, kerosene-fueled flame) to provide the energy needed to drive the cooling system. Absorption refrigerators are a popular

alternative to regular compressor refrigerators where electricity is unreliable, costly, or unavailable, where noise from the compressor is problematic, or where surplus heat is available (e.g., from turbine exhausts or industrial processes, or from solar plants). For example, absorption refrigerators powered by heat from the combustion of liquefied petroleum gas are often used for food storage in recreational vehicles. Absorptive refrigeration can also be used to air-condition buildings using the waste heat from a gas turbine or water heater. This use is very efficient, since the gas turbine produces electricity, hot water and air-conditioning (called Trigeneration). Both absorption and compressor refrigerators use a refrigerant with a very low boiling point (less than 0 F/18 C). In both types, when this refrigerant evaporates (boils), it takes some heat away with it, providing the cooling effect. The main difference between the two types is the way the refrigerant is changed from a gas back into a liquid so that the cycle can repeat. An absorption refrigerator changes the gas back into a liquid using a different method that needs only heat, and has no moving parts . The other difference between the two types is the refrigerant used. Compressor refrigerators typically use an HCFC or HFC, while absorption refrigerators typically use ammonia or water.
[1]

Heat recovery ventilation, also known as HRV, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, or MVHR, is an energy recovery ventilation system using equipment known as a heat recovery ventilator,heat exchanger, air exchanger, or air-to-air heat exchanger which employs a counter-flow heat exchanger (countercurrent heat exchange) between the inbound and outbound air flow.
[1]

HRV provides

fresh air and improved climate control, while also saving energy by reducing heating (and cooling) requirements. Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are closely related, however ERVs also transfer the humidity level of the exhaust air to the intake air

Benefits
As building efficiency is improved with insulation and weatherstripping, buildings are intentionally made more airtight, and consequently less well ventilated. Since all buildings require a source of fresh air, the need for HRVs has become obvious. While opening a window does provide ventilation, the building's heat and humidity will then be lost in the winter and gained in the summer, both of which are undesirable for the indoor climate and for energy efficiency, since the building's HVAC systems must compensate. HRV technology offers an optimal solution: fresh air, better climate control, andEnergy efficiency Sustainability

Thermal energy storage comprises a number of technologies that store thermal energy in energy storage reservoirs for later use. They can be employed to balance energy demand between day time and night time. The thermal reservoir may be maintained at a temperature above (hotter) or below (colder) that of the ambient environment. The applications today include the production of ice, chilled water, or eutectic solution at night, or hot water which is then used to cool / heat environments during the day. Thermal energy is often accumulated from active solar collector or more often combined heat and power plants, and transferred to insulated repositories for use later in various applications, such as space heating, domestic or process water heating

Solar energy storage

Main article: Solar hot water storage tank Most practical active solar heating systems have storage for a few hours to a day's worth of energy collected. There are also a small but growing number of seasonal thermal stores, used to store summer energy for space heating during winter. Molten salt is now in use as a means to retain a high temperature thermal store, in conjunction with concentrated solar power for later use in electricity generation, to allow solar power to provide electricity on a continuous basis, as base load energy

Solar air conditioning refers to any air conditioning (cooling) system that uses solar power. This can be done through passive solar, solar thermal energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion (sunlight to electricity). The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
[1]

created 2008 through

2012 funding for a new solar air conditioning research and development program, which should develop and demonstrate multiple new technology innovations and mass production economies of scale. Solar air conditioning will play an increasing role in zero-energy and energy-plus buildings design