Faced
with the need to make steep carbon emissions cuts under either European
Union or (likely) Copenhagen mandates, one weapon countries
have in the arsenal for de-carbonizing their energy portfolios is
biomass substitution.
Essentially, biomass can be be substituted for or supplemented into any
mode of fossil fuel burn, through either pulverisation and firing or
cofiring, or prior gasification . Use of biomass helps produce power
with lower net carbon emissions since, although biomass fuels
emit greenhouse gases, their carbon comes from the existing
surface-atmosphere cycle, making the combustion carbon neutral.
Biomass fuel can be derived from any number of sources, including:
- trees and wood;
- crops, plants and fruits;
- animal waste;
- paper and packaging;
- household and garden waste;
- construction and demolition
One concern cited is the possible effect on crop economics; i.e.,
combustion of what might have otherwise been agricultural
products can distort the markets for food or other staples. It
has been argued, for instance, that ethanol production has
inflated the price of corn in certain markets. While such
distortions are a genuine concern, more sustainable biomass generation
can rely upon waste and byproducts such as husks, manure, recycling
paper and deadwood.
One other issue is that biomass has a lower energy density than
traditional fossil fuels, which might make it more expensive to burn
per gigajoule than imported coal, for instance. As with other
renewable sources, this will probably have to be addressed partially
through fiscal incentives, sale of "green electricity", and targets, at
least for the time being.
In a 2006 study, the European Environment Agency projected that " up to
15 per cent of energy demand in 2030 could be covered by bioenergy
based on EU resources in an environmentally compatible way". The
EEA also has declared that, right now, the use of biomass for
cogeneration can lead to higher reduction in GHG emissions at
lower costs than would the use of such fuels for transportation.
Energy Edge Partner Martin Bloemendal
is an internationally-known expert on the issues surrounding
biomass firing and cofiring. If you have questions concerning
power from biomass, please feel free to contact him today.
|
|
PRODUCTS:
Energy
Edge now provides some tailored products that will help you understand
how these energy sector challenges will impact your company and take
steps to gain competitive advantage:
Our product offerings >
|
