Alternative Sources Of Energy

Alternative Sources Of EnergyBio- give the axes argon formed from biomass, ordinarily plants seeds, and liquid bio open fires thunder mug be drop for transportation. We be ace of the creations lede distributors of bio fuels and we argon gaining enhanced bio fuels that could see CO2 reductions and a sustainable pick fuel source.The two main(prenominal) forms of bio fuel today argon ethanol and FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters), which arrest macroscopicly relied on nourishment crops much(prenominal) as wheat or sugar cane as their source. We be working to find a source material that does non compete with food crops, to develop a conversion process that go come in baffle low CO2, and to produce efficient fuels. Our bio fuels seek includes finding alternative feedstocks. We are looking into finding tough sensitive enzymes to break cut down the prison boothulose in plants such as straw. Algae brook potential as a sustainable source of ve masterable oil that could b e employ for the production of bio fuel for diesel engines. It is early days but alga hold promise, as they grow rapidly and can be civilized in ponds of sea wet and minimise the use of fertile land and wise(p) peeing.Alternative EnergyThe world has plenty of potential renewable nix sources, but each has its own technical ch in allenges. Scientists are working to develop alternative thrust sources that are sustainable, light and convenient.Fossil fuels are expect to remain the worlds main source of cogency for decades to come but sustainable, bonnie and convenient nil sources impart alike be needed in the mix.Todays most widespread biofuel, ethanol, is commsolely made from starchy or syrupy plants.Hydrogen is seen by to a greater extent as the fuel of the coming(prenominal), but it withal has a long mode to go. It is an nil carrier, in the same way as electrical energy, and so must be produced from another substance. Most commonly, henry is produced using steam th at reacts with methane and converts it into heat content and carbon. It can also be produced from water through electrolysis. The hydrogen can then be stored and reborn to energy via hydrogen fuel cells, now available for cars. In hydrogen fuel cell vehicles a chemical reaction inside the fuel cell usually between hydrogen and type O creates electricity for the motor and the only resulting exhaust pipe emission is water vapour.We are learning as much as possible nigh hydrogen refuelling and how to meet future customer require. We are involved in research and demonstration projects and have already opened a cluster of commercial hydrogen fill up stations.biomassBiomass is any plant derived organic matter available on a renewable basis,including dedicated energy crops and trees, awkward food and feed crops,agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood wastes and residues, aquatic plantsetc. The energy in biomass can be harnessed in waste-to-energy plants orcogeneration plants. a bsquatulate-to-Energy PlantsAll incinerable waste not vulcanized, reused or recycled is sent for incineration atthe waste-to-energy plants died by the National Environment Agency. Theelectrocution of municipal waste including renewables in the waste produce heat,which is recovered to sire electricity. The electricity bringd is fed into theelectricity grid. The biomass in capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of Singapores municipal waste are mainly woodwaste, horticultural waste, food waste and waste paper.Waste-To-Energy Plants Turbine efficacy (MW)Ulu Pandan Incineration Plant 16Tuas Incineration Plant 46Senoko Incineration Plant 56Tuas in the south Incineration Plant 80Biomass Cogeneration PlantsCogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and heat, two of whichare used. Through the utilisation of the heat, the capability of cogeneration plantcan reach 80% or much. Cogeneration therefore offers energy savings rangingbetween 15-40% when compare d to the supply of electricity and heat fromconventional role stations and boilers. Cogeneration plants that use biomassfuel are carbon-neutral compared to those using fossil fuels.Two companies, M/s ECO-IEE Pte Ltd and M/s Bee Joo Industries Pte Ltd havebiomass cogeneration plants. The ECO cogeneration plant has a turbine capacityof 0.53 MW and uses wood waste as fuel. The Bee Joo cogeneration plant hasturbine capacity of 1.0 MW and uses wood waste and horticulture waste as fuel. alkalic fuel cells (AFC)Alkaline fuel cells use compressed hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity.They normally operate at 70-90C, with 300-5000 W of power at approximately 25-30%system efficiency.The Apollo astronauts used alkaline fuel cells to provide some(prenominal) electricity anddrinking water. However, pure hydrogen fuel was used.More info on AFCs whitethorn be found here. goPhosphoric biting fuel cells (PAFC)Phosphoric vinegarish fuel cells use phosphoric acid as the electrolyte to produ ceelectricity. Types of fuel that PAFCs can use include anaerobic digester gas,natural gas, gasoline, etc. They operate at 190-215C, generating up to 200 kWof power at intimately 35-40% efficiency.The internal parts of the fuel cell must be able to withstand the corrosive acid.More schooling on PAFCs may be found here.TOPProton exchange tissue layer fuel cells (PEMFC)Proton exchange tissue layer fuel cells (also known as polymer electrolyte fuelcells) use a polymer-based electrolyte, typically in a thin, permeable sheet. Thismembrane must not leak or crack, while a platinum catalyst must also be coatedon both sides of the membrane.The operational temperature is about 70-90C, with outputs of between 1W and 20http//www.nccc.gov.sg/renewables/fct.shtm (1 of 2) 17/7/2010 20703 AM can Cell TechnologieskW of power. System efficiency is about 30-35%. The low temperature makesPEMFCs fit for use in stands and cars. The fuel (typically hydrogen) mustalso be extremely purified. Natural gas can also be reformed to produce hydrogen forfuel cells.More information on PEMFCs may be found here.TOPMolten change fuel cells (MCFC)Molten carbonate fuel cells use high-temperature carbonates (of sodium ormagnesium) as the electrolyte for generating electricity. Hence, the normaloperating temperature is round 600-650C, producing 250 kW 2 MW of powerat about 45-50% efficiency.Waste heat produced by the reaction can be utilized to maximise systemefficiency. This also means that MCFCs would be also hot for home applications.More information on MCFCs may be found here.TOPSolid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)Solid oxide fuel cells use a hard, ceramic compound of metallic oxides (of calciumor zirconium) as the electrolyte. They normally operate at about 700-1,000C,producing up to 100 kW of power. System efficiency is more or less 50-55%. At suchtemperatures, reformers are not necessary for producing hydrogen from fuels, egnatural gas.Waste heat from SOFCs can also be recovered for use in other applications, egmaking more electricity. However, SOFCs are large in size, hence limiting itsapplications.More information on SOFCs may be found here.IntroductionThe tide moves a huge measuring rod of water twice each day, and harnessing it could provide a great hire of energy around 20% of Britains needs.Although the energy supply is reliable and plentiful, converting it into usable electrical power is not easy.There are eight main sites around Britain where tidal power stations could usefully be built, including the Severn, Dee, Solway and Humber estuaries. but around 20 sites in the world have been identified as possible tidal power stations.A few years ago, tidal powermeant tidal barrage.But these days there are other options as well.How it works Tidal BarragesThese work rather like a hydro-electricscheme, neglect that the dam is muchbigger.A huge dam (called a barrage) is built crosswise a river estuary. When the tide goes in and out, the water black markets th rough tunnels in the dam.The reduce and flow of the tides can be used to turn a turbine, or it can be used to push air through a pipe, which then turns a turbine. Large lock gates, like the is used on canals, allow ships to pass.If one was built across the Severn Estuary, the tides at Weston-super-Mare would not go out nearly as far thered be water to touch in for most of the time.But the Severn Estuary carries sewage and other wastes from many places (e.g. Bristol Gloucester) out to sea. A tidal barrage would mean that this stuff would hang around Weston-super-Mare an awful lot longerAlso, if youre one of the 80,000+ birds that feeds on the exposed fuck up flats when the tide goes out, then you have a problem, because the tide wont be going out properly any more.AdvantagesOnce youve built it, tidal power is free.It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste.It needs no fuel.It produces electricity reliably.Not expensive to maintain.Tides are totally predictable.Offshore turbi nes and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to fortify and do not have a large environmental furbish up.DisadvantagesA barrage across an estuary is in truth expensive to build, and affects a very wide area the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the tide uncovering the corpse flats so that they can feed. Fish cant migrate, unless fish ladders are installed. altogether provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually despicable in or out.There are few suitable sites for tidal barragesIs it renewable?Tidal energy is renewable. The tides will continue to ebb and flow, and the energy is there for the taking.Can tidal energy work in Singapore?Windmill under the seaThe New Paper 11 Nov 08This week, Singapore hosted the International Energy Week where policy makers from all over the world met academics and industry players to talk about energy options and strategies for the future.CHNG CHOON HIONG looks at tidal energy as it is used in the UK while TEH JEN LEE asks whether it could work here. draft a 37m-tall, 1,000-tonne trailmill that is submerged under the sea and you get a good idea of what the SeaGen Tidal Energy generator is.11 November 2008 fork over a 37m-tall, 1,000-tonne windmill that is submerged under the sea and you get a good idea of what the SeaGen Tidal Energy generator is.Situated in Strangford Narrows, off the coast of Northen Ireland, the SeaGen is the worlds first commercial-scale tidal energy turbine, harnessing the virtually infinite energy carried by tidal currents.Tidal currents are caused by the gravitational interaction between the earth and the moon arising from their relative motion.As such, the tidal cycle is perfectly predictable, an advantage over power generated by wind and sunlight.There are, however, some drawbacks in harnessing tidal power.It has some prerequisites which limit its use to just a few regions in the world.There are also worries suc h as the possible disruption of marine life and the ecosystem. However, the concerns about damaging the ecosystem are yet to be firmly established.Costing more than 8.5 zillion ($20 million) in development, the SeaGen is commissioned for operation till 2013. During this time, it will generate 1,200kW of clean renewable power, enough to provide for the electrical needs of 1,000 UK households.Can this work in Singapore?USING current technology, Singapore cannot harness tidal energy because our mean tidal range of about 1.7m is too low.The New Paper 11 Nov 08USING current technology, Singapore cannot harness tidal energy because our mean tidal range of about 1.7m is too low.Mean tidal range is the difference in extremum between mean low water and mean high water levels during spring tides, which occur during new moon and full moon, when there is sterling(prenominal) variation in tides.The tidal range is low all around South-east Asia because of the configuration of the land fairly straight coastlines which are touch by seas.In contrast, there are beaches in some countries elsewhere with a tidal range of more than 10m.For example, in the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic coast of North America, home to the worlds highest tides, the tidal range has been mensurable in excess of 15m.These high tides produce swift-flowing currents when the tide is coming in and going out.In Singapore, because of the low tidal range, the tidal currents are not strong enough to generate electricity. It would be like trying to get power from water flowing through a monsoon drain.Professor Teh Tiong Sa, tour senior fellow at the Tropical Marine Science Institute, verbalize To have viable energy from tides, the higher the tidal range the better.For Singapore, its too low to even think about it now, unless technology changes and things become more efficient.Singapore, August 12 Somewhere off the coast of Invergordon in Scotland on Thursday, the worlds largest tidal turbine will be unveil ed, marking a turning guide in the orbicular renewable tidal energy industry.This turbine, which can generate consistent electricity to power 1,000 British homes, may be set thousands of miles from Singapore but it represents a key moment for the city-states growing clean technology or cleantech industry.This is because the AK1000 turbine, as it is called, was tested in Singapore water and designed on Singapores shores during key periods of its 10-year research history.Chief executive timothy Cornelius of Atlantis Resources Corporation the firm behind the turbine verbalise the unveiling and installation of the one megawatt turbine was the culmination of 10 years of hard work and belief from all partners and staff.It is an important milestone not only for Atlantis, which has invested S$100 million of private investors funds into developing the turbine to date, but for the global marine power industry, he verbalize. This is when ocean power generation goes from being in the r esearch space to the commercial space.The company, which originated in Australia before moving its headquarters to Singapore five years ago, is now looking at possible locations to build a manufacturing plant that will mass produce its turbines for commercial application. tapered fossil fuel resources and growing concern on its negative impact on global climate change has resulted in a global race for clean energy in recent years. Tidal energy has potential to be a key energy source for a world grappling with rapid urbanisation.Apart from Scotland, countries such as japan and India have vast untapped tidal energy resources that could be converted into renewable energy, thus reducing the countrys reliance on fossil fuels, said Mr Cornelius. If all goes well, the firm will begin looking to list on an Asian bourse possibly in Singapore next year, he added.He credited the companys success to its move to Singapore, where the firm had access to a highly-skilled work workforce and resea rch collaborations with institutions such as Nanyang Technological University. It now has a local staff of 15. Singapore has strong intellectual property laws too, which was a key pull factor for us, he said.The turbine was also tested in the southern waters of Singapore near the Raffles lighthouse in 2008 to collect key data. Its waters are however too finicky due to shipping routes for tidal energy to be tapped, added Mr Cornelius.When installed, the AK1000 turbine weighing one hundred fifty tonnes and at a height of 22.5 metres, will sit at a dedicated berth at the European Marine Energy Centre, primed(p) in Scotlands Orkney. It costs about US$3 million for one turbine and the payback period is five to 10 years depending on the flow rate of the waves, he added.Cleantech director Goh Chee Kiong of the Economic Development Board said yesterday that Atlantiss presence in Singapore will increase the sonority of the fast-growing cleantech industry here.This project affirms Singapo res attractiveness as a global home for cleantech businesses, said Mr Goh, who also highlighted that Atlantis benefitted from Singapores strengths in existing industry clusters such as precision engineering, offshore and marine.Atlantis said it is now actively engage projects in the Asia Pacific region, especially to power hungry markets. We are assured of developing tidal power as a credible new renewable asset class in Asia, said Mr Cornelius.Source The head word Times