Alternative Energy

Biomass Energy
 Types
• Solar
• Biomass
• Hydro
• Nuclear
• Co-generation
Renewable Energy Systems
 Solar Energy
• What is Solar Energy ?
• Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using
a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics,
solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and
artificial photosynthesis.[1][2]
• It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are
broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on
how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power.
Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems,
concentrated solar power and solar water heating 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.
• The large magnitude of solar energy available makes it a highly appealing
source of electricity. The United Nations Development Programme in its
2000 World Energy Assessment found that the annual potential of solar
energy was 1,575–49,837 exajoules (EJ). This is several times larger than
the total world energy consumption, which was 559.8 EJ in 2012.[3][4]
• In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of
affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have
huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through
reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent
resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of
mitigating global warming, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise.
These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives
for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must
be wisely spent and need to be widely shared
• The Earth receives 174,000 terawatts (TW) of incoming solar radiation
(insolation) at the upper atmosphere.[5] Approximately 30% is reflected back
to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses.
The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across
the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-
ultraviolet.[6] Most of the world's population live in areas with insolation
levels of 150-300 watts/m², or 3.5-7.0 kWh/m² per day
• Solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth's land surface, oceans – which
cover about 71% of the globe – and atmosphere. Warm air containing
evaporated water from the oceans rises, causing atmospheric circulation or
convection. When the air reaches a high altitude, where the temperature is
low, water vapor condenses into clouds, which rain onto the Earth's surface,
completing the water cycle. The latent heat of water condensation amplifies
convection, producing atmospheric phenomena such as wind, cyclones and
anti-cyclones.[7] Sunlight absorbed by the oceans and land masses keeps
the surface at an average temperature of 14 °C.[8] By photosynthesis, green
plants convert solar energy into chemically stored energy, which produces
food, wood and the biomass from which fossil fuels are derived.[9]
• The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land
masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year.[10] In 2002, this
was more energy in one hour than the world used in one year.[11][12]
Photosynthesis captures approximately 3,000 EJ per year in biomass.[13]
The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast
that in one year it is about twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of
the Earth's non-renewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined
uranium combined,[14]

Yearly solar fluxes & human consumption1

Solar 3,850,000 [10]

Wind 2,250 [15]

Biomass potential ~200 [16]

Primary energy use2 539 [17]

Electricity2 ~67 [18]

1 Energy given in Exajoule (EJ) = 1018 J = 278 TWh

2 Consumption as of year 2010
• The potential solar energy that could be used by humans differs from the
amount of solar energy present near the surface of the planet because
factors such as geography, time variation, cloud cover, and the land
available to humans limit the amount of solar energy that we can acquire.
• Geography affects solar energy potential because areas that are closer to
the equator have a greater amount of solar radiation. However, the use of
photovoltaics that can follow the position of the sun can significantly
increase the solar energy potential in areas that are farther from the
equator.[4] Time variation effects the potential of solar energy because
during the nighttime there is little solar radiation on the surface of the Earth
for solar panels to absorb. This limits the amount of energy that solar panels
can absorb in one day. Cloud cover can affect the potential of solar panels
because clouds block incoming light from the sun and reduce the light
available for solar cells.
• Use of solar energy for the humankind is
plentiful. Some of its applications are :
1. Domestic needs, heating, water heating,
cooking
2. Water treatment
3. Electricity generation
4. Energy storage
5. Fuel production
6. Transportation
7. Agriculture and horticulture - greenhouses
• Active solar techniques use photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, solar
thermal collectors, pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful outputs.
Passive solar techniques include selecting materials with favorable thermal
properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the
position of a building to the Sun. Active solar technologies increase the
supply of energy and are considered supply side technologies, while
passive solar technologies reduce the need for alternate resources and are
generally considered demand side technologies.

Photovoltaic water heaters Solar house in the US built in 1939

Solar water treatment Parabolic dish producing steam
Indonesia for cooking in India
 Technologies for electricity generation
1. Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and
tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. The
concentrated heat is then used as a heat source for a conventional power
plant. A wide range of concentrating technologies exists; the most developed
are the parabolic trough, the concentrating linear fresnel reflector, the Stirling
dish and the solar power tower. Various techniques are used to track the Sun
and focus light. In all of these systems a working fluid is heated by the
concentrated sunlight, and is then used for power generation or energy
storage.

Solar power is anticipated to

become the world's largest
source of electricity by 2050,
with solar photovoltaics and
concentrated solar power
contributing 16 and 11 percent
to the global overall
consumption, respectively.
2. In the last two decades, photovoltaics (PV), also known as solar PV, has
evolved from a pure niche market of small scale applications towards becoming
a mainstream electricity source. A solar cell is a device that converts light
directly into electricity using the photoelectric effect. The first solar cell was
constructed by Charles Fritts in the 1880s. In 1931 a German engineer, Dr
Bruno Lange, developed a photo cell using silver selenide in place of copper
oxide. Although the prototype selenium cells converted less than 1% of incident
light into electricity, both Ernst Werner von Siemens and James Clerk Maxwell
recognized the importance of this discovery. Following the work of Russell Ohl
in the 1940s, researchers Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin
created the crystalline silicon solar cell in 1954. These early solar cells cost
286 USD/watt and reached efficiencies of 4.5–6%. By 2012 available
efficiencies exceeded 20%, and the efficiency of research photovoltaics was in
excess of 40%.
 Issues and Challenges
• Despite the benefits of solar energy the main issue that
faces solar plants is the amount of area or space
needed. Photovoltaic fields are large with very little
output, compared to the others. The Ivanpah Solar
Power Facility (concentrated solar) takes up about 3500
acres (5.5 sq. mi or 14 sq. km). Therefore, if we want to
run the United States (4.0 PWhr/year) off only solar
collector plants, then you need to use an area of at least
22,000 sq. mi (or 56,000 sq. km), which is slightly less
than the total land area of the state of West Virginia.
When compared to the area and cost of a standard
nuclear or coal plant, this makes the construction of
these power plants can be very costly.
Have you seen a solar power industry in Malaysia ? ..\CYPARK - Corporate Profile Solar.p
 What is Biomass ?
1. Biomass
- Solar energy that is stored in green plants and other organic matter.
- e.g. Wood, forest residues, animal manure and waste, grains, crops
and aquatic plants.
- These substances can provide energy in the form of electricity, heat,
steam and fuels.
- History has proven that mankind has used biomass to create energy
for heat and fuels.
- Today, many under developed countries relies on biomass sources
for their energy needs and almost one-third of the energy needs in
the developing countries are from biomass and Malaysia is not
excluded.
Many types of sources
 Hydropower
• Historically has been used in ancient
Egypt to raise water level from river for
irrigation. Innovation and new invention
leads to the construction of dams to
generate power for electricity.
• Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2015
hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all
renewable electricity,[1] and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year
for the next 25 years.
• Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region
generating 33 percent of global hydropower in 2013. China is the largest
hydroelectricity producer, with 920 TWh of production in 2013, representing
16.9 percent of domestic electricity use.
• Hydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and perform
other tasks. In the mid-1770s, French engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor
published Architecture Hydraulique which described vertical- and horizontal-
axis hydraulic machines. By the late 19th century, the electrical generator
was developed and could now be coupled with hydraulics.[5] The growing
demand for the Industrial Revolution would drive development as well.[6] In
1878 the world's first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at
Cragside in Northumberland, England by William George Armstrong. It was
used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery.[7] The old Schoelkopf
Power Station No. 1 near Niagara Falls in the U.S. side began to produce
electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan
Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin,
with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts.[8] By 1886 there were 45
hydroelectric power stations in the U.S. and Canada. By 1889 there were
200 in the U.S. alone.[5]
• Hydroelectric power stations continued to become larger throughout the
20th century. Hydropower was referred to as white coal for its power and
plenty.[11] Hoover Dam's initial 1,345 MW power station was the world's
largest hydroelectric power station in 1936; it was eclipsed by the 6809 MW
Grand Coulee Dam in 1942.[12] The Itaipu Dam opened in 1984 in South
America as the largest, producing 14,000 MW but was surpassed in 2008
by the Three Gorges Dam in China at 22,500 MW. Hydroelectricity would
eventually supply some countries, including Norway, Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Paraguay and Brazil, with over 85% of their electricity. The
United States currently has over 2,000 hydroelectric power stations that
supply 6.4% of its total electrical production output, which is 49% of its
renewable electricity.
• The technical potential for the growth of hydropower around the world are,
71% Europe, 75% North America, 79% South America, 95% Africa, 95%
Middle East, 82% Asia Pacific. The political realities of new reservoirs in
western countries, economic limitations in the third world and the lack of a
transmission system in undeveloped areas, result in the possibility of
developing 25% of the remaining potential before 2050, with the bulk of that
being in the Asia Pacific area.[13] A few countries are highly developed and
have very little room for growth, Switzerland 12% and Mexico 20%.
 Generating methods
1. Conventional (dams)
• See also: List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
• Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water
driving a water turbine and generator. The power extracted from the water
depends on the volume and on the difference in height between the source
and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. A large
pipe (the "penstock") delivers water from the reservoir to the turbine.
2. Pumped storage
• This method produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving
water between reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low electrical
demand, the excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the
higher reservoir. When the demand becomes greater, water is released
back into the lower reservoir through a turbine. Pumped-storage schemes
currently provide the most commercially important means of large-scale grid
energy storage and improve the daily capacity factor of the generation
system. Pumped storage is not an energy source, and appears as a
negative number in listings.
 3. Run-off-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir
capacity, so that only the water coming from upstream is available for
generation at that moment, and any oversupply must pass unused. A
constant supply of water from a lake or existing reservoir upstream is a
significant advantage in choosing sites for run-of-the-river. In the United
States, run of the river hydropower could potentially provide 60,000
megawatts (80,000,000 hp) (about 13.7% of total use in 2011 if
continuously available).

4. A tidal power station makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean water due
to tides; such sources are highly predictable, and if conditions permit
construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable to generate power
during high demand periods. Less common types of hydro schemes use
water's kinetic energy or undammed sources such as undershot water
wheels. Tidal power is viable in a relatively small number of locations
around the world. In Great Britain, there are eight sites that could be
developed, which have the potential to generate 20% of the electricity
used in 2012.
 Hydropower
- Requires a reliable supply of water flow from an elevated source that
can be discharged at a lower elevation nearby.
- Leads to construction of dams located along a river where large
volume of water can be impounded behind a dam at a level higher
than the river bed.
- A pipe connected to the upstream reservoir conducts high pressure
water to the inlet of hydro-turbine located at a level at or below the
downstream riverbed.
- Turbine discharges water, generate mechanical energy to power
electrical generator.
- The maximum power generated by the turbine is ρghQ ;
where ρ = density of water, g = 9.8 ms-2, h = head, Q = volume flow
rate of water through turbine.
e.g. a 1000 MW hydropower with 10m head, would require a flow rate
of more than 10000 m3s-1 to be effective.
 Advantages / Benefits
1. Flexibility
• Hydropower is a flexible source of electricity since stations can be ramped
up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands.[2] Hydro
turbines have a start-up time of the order of a few minutes.[22] It takes
around 60 to 90 seconds to bring a unit from cold start-up to full load; this is
much shorter than for gas turbines or steam plants.[23] Power generation
can also be decreased quickly when there is a surplus power generation.[24]
Hence the limited capacity of hydropower units is not generally used to
produce base power except for vacating the flood pool or meeting
downstream needs.[25] Instead, it serves as backup for non-hydro
generators.[
2. Cost
• The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive
source of renewable electricity. The hydro station consumes no
water, unlike coal or gas plants. The average cost of electricity from
a hydro station larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per
kilowatt-hour. With a dam and reservoir it is also a flexible source of
electricity since the amount produced by the station can be changed
up or down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands.
Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces
no direct waste, and has a considerably lower output level of
greenhouse gases than fossil fuel powered energy plants.
3. Suitability for industrial applications
• While many hydroelectric projects supply public electricity networks, some
are created to serve specific industrial enterprises. Dedicated hydroelectric
projects are often built to provide the substantial amounts of electricity
needed for aluminium electrolytic plants, for example. The Grand Coulee
Dam switched to support Alcoa aluminium in Bellingham, Washington,
United States for American World War II airplanes before it was allowed to
provide irrigation and power to citizens (in addition to aluminium power)
after the war. In Suriname, the Brokopondo Reservoir was constructed to
provide electricity for the Alcoa aluminium industry. New Zealand's
Manapouri Power Station was constructed to supply electricity to the
aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point.
4. Reduced CO2 emissions
• Since hydroelectric dams do not use fuel, power generation does not
produce carbon dioxide. While carbon dioxide is initially produced during
construction of the project, and some methane is given off annually by
reservoirs, hydro normally has the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas
emissions for power generation. Compared to fossil fuels generating an
equivalent amount of electricity, hydro displaced three billion tonnes of CO2
emissions in 2011. One measurement of greenhouse gas related and other
externality comparison between energy sources can be found in the
ExternE project by the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of Stuttgart
which was funded by the European Commission. According to that study,
hydroelectricity produces the least amount of greenhouse gases and
externality of any energy source.[32] Coming in second place was wind, third
was nuclear energy, and fourth was solar photovoltaic. The low greenhouse
gas impact of hydroelectricity is found especially in temperate climates. The
above study was for local energy in Europe; presumably similar conditions
prevail in North America and Northern Asia, which all see a regular, natural
freeze/thaw cycle (with associated seasonal plant decay and regrowth).
Greater greenhouse gas emission impacts are found in the tropical regions
because the reservoirs of power stations in tropical regions produce a larger
amount of methane than those in temperate areas.
5. Other uses of the reservoir
• Reservoirs created by hydroelectric schemes often provide facilities for
water sports, and become tourist attractions themselves. In some countries,
aquaculture in reservoirs is common. Multi-use dams installed for irrigation
support agriculture with a relatively constant water supply. Large hydro
dams can control floods, which would otherwise affect people living
downstream of the project.
 Issues and Challenges
1. Ecosystem damage and
loss of land
Hydroelectric power stations
that use dams would
submerge large areas of land
due to the requirement of a
reservoir. Merowe Dam in
Sudan

Hydroelectric projects can be disruptive to surrounding aquatic

ecosystems both upstream and downstream of the plant site.
Generation of hydroelectric power changes the downstream river
environment. Water exiting a turbine usually contains very little
suspended sediment, which can lead to scouring of river beds and
loss of riverbanks. Since turbine gates are often opened
intermittently, rapid or even daily fluctuations in river flow are
observed
2. Siltation and flow shortage
• When water flows it has the ability to transport particles heavier than itself
downstream. This has a negative effect on dams and subsequently their
power stations, particularly those on rivers or within catchment areas with
high siltation. Siltation can fill a reservoir and reduce its capacity to control
floods along with causing additional horizontal pressure on the upstream
portion of the dam. Eventually, some reservoirs can become full of sediment
and useless or over-top during a flood and fail.[37][38]
• Changes in the amount of river flow will correlate with the amount of energy
produced by a dam. Lower river flows will reduce the amount of live storage
in a reservoir therefore reducing the amount of water that can be used for
hydroelectricity. The result of diminished river flow can be power shortages
in areas that depend heavily on hydroelectric power. The risk of flow
shortage may increase as a result of climate change.[39] One study from the
Colorado River in the United States suggest that modest climate changes,
such as an increase in temperature in 2 degree Celsius resulting in a 10%
decline in precipitation, might reduce river run-off by up to 40%.[39] Brazil in
particular is vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on hydroelectricity, as
increasing temperatures, lower water flow and alterations in the rainfall
regime, could reduce total energy production by 7% annually by the end of
the century.[
3. Methane emission
• Lower positive impacts are found in the tropical regions, as it has been
noted that the reservoirs of power plants in tropical regions produce
substantial amounts of methane. This is due to plant material in flooded
areas decaying in an anaerobic environment, and forming methane, a
greenhouse gas. According to the World Commission on Dams report,[40]
where the reservoir is large compared to the generating capacity (less than
100 watts per square metre of surface area) and no clearing of the forests in
the area was undertaken prior to impoundment of the reservoir, greenhouse
gas emissions from the reservoir may be higher than those of a
conventional oil-fired thermal generation plant.[41]
• In boreal reservoirs of Canada and Northern Europe, however, greenhouse
gas emissions are typically only 2% to 8% of any kind of conventional fossil-
fuel thermal generation. A new class of underwater logging operation that
targets drowned forests can mitigate the effect of forest decay.[42]
4. Relocation
• Another disadvantage of hydroelectric dams is the need to relocate the
people living where the reservoirs are planned. In 2000, the World
Commission on Dams estimated that dams had physically displaced 40-80
million people worldwide.

5. Failure risks
• Because large conventional dammed-hydro facilities hold back large
volumes of water, a failure due to poor construction, natural disasters or
sabotage can be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure.

• During Typhoon Nina in 1975 Banqiao Dam failed in Southern China when
more than a year's worth of rain fell within 24 hours. The resulting flood
resulted in the deaths of 26,000 people, and another 145,000 from
epidemics. Millions were left homeless.
• The creation of a dam in a geologically inappropriate location may cause
disasters such as 1963 disaster at Vajont Dam in Italy, where almost 2,000
people died.
• The Malpasset Dam failure in Fréjus on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur),
southern France, collapsed on December 2, 1959, killing 423 people in the
resulting flood.[45]
• Smaller dams and micro hydro facilities create less risk, but can form
continuing hazards even after being decommissioned. For example, the
small earthen embankment Kelly Barnes Dam failed in 1977, twenty years
after its power station was decommissioned; causing 39 deaths.[
 Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal energy is heat energy generated and stored in the Earth.
Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter.
The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original
formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials (in currently
uncertain[1] but possibly roughly equal[2] proportions). The geothermal
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. The adjective geothermal
originates from the Greek roots γη (ge), meaning earth, and θερμος
(thermos), meaning hot.
• Earth's internal heat is thermal energy generated from radioactive decay
and continual heat loss from Earth's formation.[3] Temperatures at the core–
mantle boundary may reach over 4000 °C (7,200 °F).[4] The high
temperature and pressure in Earth's interior cause some rock to melt and
solid mantle to behave plastically, resulting in portions of mantle convecting
upward since it is lighter than the surrounding rock. Rock and water is
heated in the crust, sometimes up to 370 °C (700 °F).[5]
• From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since
Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is
now better known for electricity generation. Worldwide, 11,700 megawatts
(MW) of geothermal power is online in 2013.[6] An additional 28 gigawatts of
direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space
heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural
applications in 2010.[7]
• Geothermal power is cost-effective, reliable, sustainable, and
environmentally friendly,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. Forecasts for the future of geothermal power depend on
assumptions about technology, energy prices, subsidies, plate boundary
movement and interest rates. Pilot programs like EWEB's customer opt in
Green Power Program[9] show that customers would be willing to pay a little
more for a renewable energy source like geothermal. But as a result of
government assisted research and industry experience, the cost of
generating geothermal power has decreased by 25% over the past two
decades.[10] In 2001, geothermal energy costs between two and ten US
cents per kWh
 Geothermal energy for electricity

• The International Geothermal Association (IGA) has reported that 10,715

megawatts (MW) of geothermal power in 24 countries is online, which was
expected to generate 67,246 GWh of electricity in 2010.[27] This represents
a 20% increase in online capacity since 2005. IGA projects growth to
18,500 MW by 2015, due to the projects presently under consideration,
often in areas previously assumed to have little exploitable resource.[27]
• In 2010, the United States led the world in geothermal electricity production
with 3,086 MW of installed capacity from 77 power plants.[28] The largest
group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a
geothermal field in California.[29] The Philippines is the second highest
producer, with 1,904 MW of capacity online. Geothermal power makes up
approximately 27% of Philippine electricity generation.[28]
• In 2016, Indonesia set in third with 1,647 MW online behind USA at 3,450
MW and the Philippines at 1,870 MW, but Indonesia will becomes second
due to additional online 130 MW at end of 2016 and 255 MW in 2017. Due
to Indonesia has 28,994 MW reserve as the largest geothermal reserve in
the world, so predicted Indonesia will tumble USA in the next decade.[30]
 Other uses of geothermal energy
• Lower temperature sources produce the energy equivalent of 100M BBL per
year. Sources with temperatures of 30–150 °C are used without conversion
to electricity as district heating, greenhouses, fisheries, mineral recovery,
industrial process heating and bathing in 75 countries. Heat pumps extract
energy from shallow sources at 10–20 °C in 43 countries for use in space
heating and cooling. Home heating is the fastest-growing means of
exploiting geothermal energy, with global annual growth rate of 30% in
2005[36] and 20% in 2012.
• Heating is cost-effective at many more sites than electricity generation. At
natural hot springs or geysers, water can be piped directly into radiators. In
hot, dry ground, earth tubes or downhole heat exchangers can collect the
heat. However, even in areas where the ground is colder than room
temperature, heat can often be extracted with a geothermal heat pump
more cost-effectively and cleanly than by conventional furnaces.[37] These
devices draw on much shallower and colder resources than traditional
geothermal techniques. They frequently combine functions, including air
conditioning, seasonal thermal energy storage, solar energy collection, and
electric heating. Heat pumps can be used for space heating essentially
anywhere.
 Types of geothermal plants
• Liquid-dominated plants
• Liquid-dominated reservoirs (LDRs) were more common with temperatures
greater than 200 °C (392 °F) and are found near young volcanoes
surrounding the Pacific Ocean and in rift zones and hot spots. Flash plants
are the common way to generate electricity from these sources. Pumps are
generally not required, powered instead when the water turns to steam.
Most wells generate 2-10MWe. Steam is separated from liquid via cyclone
separators, while the liquid is returned to the reservoir for reheating/reuse.
As of 2013, the largest liquid system is Cerro Prieto in Mexico, which
generates 750 MWe from temperatures reaching 350 °C (662 °F). The
Salton Sea field in Southern California offers the potential of generating
2000 MWe.[18]
• Lower temperature LDRs (120–200 °C) require pumping. They are common
in extensional terrains, where heating takes place via deep circulation along
faults, such as in the Western US and Turkey. Water passes through a heat
exchanger in a Rankine cycle binary plant. The water vaporizes an organic
working fluid that drives a turbine. These binary plants originated in the
Soviet Union in the late 1960s and predominate in new US plants. Binary
plants have no emissions
 Geothermal power station
Phillipines

Enhanced geothermal system

1:Reservoir 2:Pump house
3:Heat exchanger 4:Turbine hall
5:Production well 6:Injection well 7:Hot
water to district heating
8:Porous sediments 9:Observation well
10:Crystalline bedrock
 Benefits
1. Renewability and sustainability
• Geothermal power is considered to be renewable because any projected
heat extraction is small compared to the Earth's heat content. The Earth has
an internal heat content of 1031 joules (3·1015 TW·hr), approximately 100
billion times current (2010) worldwide annual energy consumption.[7] About
20% of this is residual heat from planetary accretion, and the remainder is
attributed to higher radioactive decay rates that existed in the past.[3] Natural
heat flows are not in equilibrium, and the planet is slowly cooling down on
geologic timescales. Human extraction taps a minute fraction of the natural
outflow, often without accelerating it.
• Even though geothermal power is globally sustainable, extraction must still
be monitored to avoid local depletion. Over the course of decades,
individual wells draw down local temperatures and water levels until a new
equilibrium is reached with natural flows. The three oldest sites, at
Larderello, Wairakei, and the Geysers have experienced reduced output
because of local depletion.
• Heat and water, in uncertain proportions, were extracted faster than they
were replenished. If production is reduced and water is reinjected, these
wells could theoretically recover their full potential. Such mitigation
strategies have already been implemented at some sites. The long-term
sustainability of geothermal energy has been demonstrated at the
Lardarello field in Italy since 1913, at the Wairakei field in New Zealand
since 1958, and at The Geysers field in California since 1960

• Geothermal has minimal land and freshwater requirements. Geothermal

plants use 3.5 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi) per gigawatt of electrical
production (not capacity) versus 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) and 12
square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) for coal facilities and wind farms
respectively.[13] They use 20 litres (5.3 US gal) of freshwater per MW·h
versus over 1,000 litres (260 US gal) per MW·h for nuclear, coal, or oil
 Issues and Challenges
1
• Fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a mixture of gases, notably carbon
dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4) and ammonia
(NH3). These pollutants contribute to global warming, acid rain, and noxious
smells if released. Existing geothermal electric plants emit an average of
122 kilograms (269 lb) of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MW·h) of electricity, a
small fraction of the emission intensity of conventional fossil fuel
plants.Plants that experience high levels of acids and volatile chemicals are
usually equipped with emission-control systems to reduce the exhaust.
2
• In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources may hold
in solution trace amounts of toxic elements such as mercury, arsenic, boron,
and antimony. These chemicals precipitate as the water cools, and can
cause environmental damage if released. The modern practice of injecting
cooled geothermal fluids back into the Earth to stimulate production has the
side benefit of reducing this environmental risk.
3
• Direct geothermal heating systems contain pumps and compressors, which
may consume energy from a polluting source. This parasitic load is normally
a fraction of the heat output, so it is always less polluting than electric
heating. However, if the electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, then
the net emissions of geothermal heating may be comparable to directly
burning the fuel for heat. For example, a geothermal heat pump powered by
electricity from a combined cycle natural gas plant would produce about as
much pollution as a natural gas condensing furnace of the same size.[37]
Therefore, the environmental value of direct geothermal heating
applications is highly dependent on the emissions intensity of the
neighboring electric grid.
4.
• Plant construction can adversely affect land stability. Subsidence has
occurred in the Wairakei field in New Zealand. In Staufen im Breisgau,
Germany, tectonic uplift occurred instead, due to a previously isolated
anhydrite layer coming in contact with water and turning into gypsum,
doubling its volume. Enhanced geothermal systems can trigger earthquakes
as part of hydraulic fracturing. The project in Basel, Switzerland was
suspended because more than 10,000 seismic events measuring up to 3.4
on the Richter Scale occurred over the first 6 days of water injection
 Nuclear Energy
• Derived from the binding force that holds the nucleons of the
atomic nucleus together.
• When lighter nuclei fuse together, energy is released.
• When heavier nuclei undergo fission, energy is also released.
• e.g. of fission reaction
235U + n → 144Ba + 89Kr + 3n + 177MeV

• 80% of energy released is kinetic energy of the fission products

while the rest is released as γ and β rays, the neutrons and that
contained in the delayed radioactivity of the fission products.
• Important to note that this is a chain reaction where the energy
released are also absorbed by 238U fuel and produce Plutonium
238U + n → 239U + γ → 239Np + β → 239Pu + β

The Plutonium can be extracted to be used as fresh fuel for

reloading a reactor also used in atomic bombs.
 Co-generation
• Applied to systems that provide both electrical power
and useful heat from the burning of fuel.
• Used widely in industries to generate electricity and
process or building heat at the same time.
• Solid waste thermal treatment facilities can represent a
cogeneration system.
• Cogeneration is also useful when process or space heat
is required at a lower temperature e.g. domestic space
and water heating in cold countries.
• The conversion efficiency of fuel for cogeneration
depends on thermal efficiency of heat engine ηth and
heat exchangers, ηxch , enthalpy flux of exhaust gas, Qex
i.e. Qproc = ηxch Qex = (1 – ηth) Qfuel
 Technologies
a. Principal processes of Biomass Energy
1. Combustion ; direct burning in stoves, furnaces or boilers to
provide cooking, space or process heating
2. Gasification ; Partial combustion of a fuel utilising less
deficient air to generate combustible fuel gas rich in CO, H2
and some saturated hydrocarbons esp. CH4.
3. Pyrolysis ; thermal processing of biomass without air.
However a heat source must be supplied to drive the
reactions. Products include solid (char), liquid (condensate)
and gases containing H2, CH4, CO, CO2 and other gases
depending on material pyrolysed.
4. Fermentation; enzyme assisted chemical reaction to
produce ethanol, methanol as suitable liquid fuel.
5. Anaerobic digestion ; Utilises microbial activity to produce
gaseous mixture of CO2 and CH4.
c. Nuclear power
The principle technology to produce nuclear energy
requires nuclear reactor, a medium to extract heat
radiated, steam produced runs the turbine, generating
electricity, steam exhaust condensed and sent back to
reactor as feed water. Several types :
i. Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)
ii. Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR)
iii. Gas cooled Reactor ( GCR/ AGR using CO2 as coolent)
iv. Breeder Reactor (BR using liquid Na as coolent and
usually used to produce Pu)

Refer to Fig 12.2 to illustrate complete process in a

nuclear plant.
 Calculations
For the neutron induced reaction of Uranium 235 ,
i. Write the equation to represent the reaction
ii. Calculate the energy released per kg of the Uranium

SOLUTION
i. The reaction is 235U + n → 144Ba + 89Kr + 3n

ii. Using Einstein equation, the energy of fission is E = mc2

where L.H.S; 235U = 235.04394 amu and n = 1.00867 amu
R.H.S ; 144Ba = 143.92 amu, 89Kr = 88.9166 amu.

Hence difference between left and right terms; ∆m = 0.19 amu

also 1 amu = 1.66E(-27) kg and c= 3 E(8), 1 MeV = 1.602E(-13)J

Thus E = 0.19 x 1.66E(-27) x (3E(8))2 = 2.84E(-11) J
= 177 MeV
Now,
• 1 mole contains 6.023E(23) atoms
• MW of Uranium = 0.235 kg-mol
• Hence energy released per kg;

2.84E(-11) J x 6.023E(23) = 7.3E(13) J/kg

0.235

In comparison, the combustion of carbon produces 3.3E(7) J/kg which

is about 2 million times less energy per unit weight than a fission
reaction.
d. Cogeneration
3 main types available :
i. Using steam turbine with boiler back pressure topping
ii. Using gas turbine with waste heat boiler
iii. Using internal combustion engine systems with waste heat
boiler
 Advantages and disadvantages
1. Biomass energy
Advantages
- Cheap
- Plants origin are easily available and in abundance
- Help to reduce landfill space acquirement and hence the potential
problems
- Carbon dioxide released can be recaptured to mother earth.
Disadvantages
- Biomass is bulky and not economical to transport over long
distances
- Ash produced from burning process must be disposed of
- Biomass cannot be stored for long period of time
- Biogas e.g. ethanol and methanol contain less energy per gallon
than gasoline
- Much research is needed to reduce the production costs.
 Advantages and disadvantages
3. Nuclear energy
Advantages
- Abundant of resources compared with fossil fuel resources
- Nuclear power is cheap – cost US$0.05/ KWh
- Plants can be built in 6 years for large capacity plnts
- Nuclear power stations take no energy
- Emit no greenhouse gases in the construction
Disadvantages
- Capital investment is 2 – 7 times higher than fossil fuel fired plants.
- Safety issues needs proper handling e.g. terrorist attack on storage
facilities, polluting water supplies and plutonium ‘kidnapping’.
- Radioactive waste treatment and sites are potential problems need
long-term solution
- Nuclear weapons proliferations that curb its wide usage and win
public favour against other energy sources.
- Usage only limited to electricity generation and not suitable for other
energy requirement such as transportation sector.
• Cogeneration
Advantages
- Cheap and readily available in industrial plants fitted with such
schemes
- Great benefits for domestic and small industrial applications without
the need of excess fuel

Disadvantages
- Heat cannot be transported over long distances without great loss
incurred.
- Little requirement for space heating during summer seasons