Sustainable alternative energy source Possibilities

[faslan]

Many low income African and Asian countries don't have any Fossil Fuel reserves and they import Coal and petroleum for electricity generation and it's really affect their economy.but many of these countries have huge marginal land it's suitable for bioenergy crops.

Growing some fast growing drought tolerant Grass species and built some biomass burning power plant will give them some relief.many tropical grass species can give high dry matter harvest and can grown on dry lands

( Napier grass can give up to 75 MT dry matter per hectare per year but can obviously we can get at least 15-20 Mt DM on dry land )

some fast growing tree species also can used for biomass burning (Ipil ipil tree Leucaena leucocephala )

and grass biomass also suitable for other countries

 

making bio diesel by soybean, palmoil increase deforestation

 

Your Ideas

Edited April 6, 2014 by faslan

[swansont]

Is there a problem with wind and solar?

[Schneibster]

Swansont, there is a problem with the infrastructure investment for poor countries. There are also environmental impacts of wind and tide mechanisms, and capacity trouble. A base load must be provided for at all times. Wind and solar are intermittent and our storage technologies are weak.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Schneibster

[faslan]

solar,wind are costly. for built 100 MW solar power plant will cost millions of $.that why even rich countries can't built large solar power plants

[EdEarl]

Algae grows faster than anything else, and it will grow in salt and soda water. It can be pressed into pellets, and used to fire a power plant. However, wind and PV solar should be used with algae pellets to take up the slack when wend and PV do not provide power. Also, liquid metal batteries can be made large enough to store energy from wind and solar to help with transients as generation changes from wind and/or PV to pellet fired power plants.

[Sensei]

solar,wind are costly. for built 100 MW solar power plant will cost millions of $.

You are thinking from perspective of investor that will make power station to entire village or city. That's wrong way IMHO.

Each of citizen should get for free, or buy, solar panel that will be enough for his/her family.

But this way flow of money to investor or government (taxes from electric bills, taxes from power station company etc) doesn't flow.

Once bought solar panel can be used for many many years no problem, without paying bills per month.

 

(Almost) everybody are only thinking how to screw up other people just to earn money..

 

that why even rich countries can't built large solar power plants

That's not the cause. Problem is energetic lobby.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Sensei

[Enthalpy]

solar,wind are costly. for built 100 MW solar power plant will cost millions of $.that why even rich countries can't built large solar power plants

 

Wind turbines are cheaper than nuclear power plants. The produced electricity, as well.

[...] Wind and solar are intermittent and our storage technologies are weak.

 

Storage works already. In Solar thermal power plants in Spain, on an interesting scale, with meaningful economic constraints.

 

Then you have geothermal energy, which is available where and when you need it, needing little ground area. Including 3,000km away from the next geyser.

 

Convincing ideas exist to store electricity. That would be a reasonable million-buck effort, not a billion-buck waste in nuclear plants, which lost us two valuable provinces to make 1% of the world's electricity, and have too little uranium to replace hydrocarbon energies.

[swansont]

solar,wind are costly. for built 100 MW solar power plant will cost millions of $.that why even rich countries can't built large solar power plants

 

In many places wind and solar are cheaper than electricity from fossil fuels; the problematic part is that the costs are all upfront while for traditional sources the fuel is purchased over the many years of operation of the plant.

[faslan]

yes solar and wind are clean,cheap energy.but guys, i'm talking about energy problems of poor countries.(GDP per capita is 300,400,to 1000 US $)

solar pane cost is likely 0.70$ per watt.a 500 w solar panel is cost 350$.it's just a dream for a household.so 10 MW solar power plant cost nearly 6-7 million $.their government can't afford.

but a biomass burning power plant not cost as much as solar panels. only building and power generator is costly.

growing biomass and harvesting will crate some jobs

[EdEarl]

I just found this article about new material for a super capacitor, which may help reduce the costs of energy storage, and make solar and wind more practical. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140407131027.htm

[Enthalpy]

Solar energy does NOT mean photovoltaic, and means even less semiconductor. Solar thermal is a better way, because the collecting area (mirrors) is cheaper, the conversion more efficient (35% and more), and heat is stored for night.

[Pantaz]

... solar pane cost is likely 0.70$ per watt.a 500 w solar panel is cost 350$.it's just a dream for a household....

 

At 14 years old, using mostly scrap materials, William Kamkwamba built a wind turbine to power his family's home.

 

... He borrowed an 8th grade American textbook called Using Energy, which depicted wind turbines on its cover. He decided to build a windmill to power his family’s home and obviate the need for kerosene, which provided only smoky, flickering, distant and expensive light after dark. First he built a prototype using a radio motor, then his initial 5-meter windmill out of a broken bicycle, tractor fan blade, old shock absorber, and blue gum trees. After hooking the windmill to a car battery for storage, William was able to power four light bulbs and charge neighbors’ mobile phones. This system was even equipped with homemade light switches and a circuit breaker made from nails, wire, and magnets. The windmill was later extended to 12 meters to better catch the wind above the trees. A third windmill pumped grey water for irrigation. ...

 

-- http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com/about.html

[Essay]

Many low income African and Asian countries don't have any Fossil Fuel reserves, and they import Coal and petroleum for electricity generation ...and it's (badly) affecting their economy (and ecosystem).

And many of these countries have huge marginal land that's suitable for bioenergy crops.

Growing some fast-growing, drought-tolerant, Grass species and built some biomass-burning power plant will give them some relief.

Many tropical grass species can give high dry matter harvest and can grown on dry lands

Some fast growing tree species also can used for biomass burning ...and grass biomass also suitable for other countries.

...Making bio-diesel by soybean, palm-oil increase deforestation.

Growing some fast-growing, drought-tolerant, Grass/Tree species and built some biomass-burning power plant will give them some relief.

Your Ideas

...if I may re-phrase and paraphrase your quote above:

===

 

I agree with your view of the problem and solution, especially for the "huge marginal land" situation.

Local people then become a valued resource, as land managers and biomass managers.

And as a "carbon-neutral" fuel, the efficiencies of the process are not as critical; so there is room to experiment and adjust, and customize for the local situation.

Also....

Improving some of those marginal lands, and developing them as a new resource (a better source of nutrition/health or income), can also be a co-benefit of such a "biomass-burning power plant" system.

If during the biomass burning, some completely charred biomass is created, then you can remove that charred biomass (biochar) and use it as a soil amendment.

As a way to improve or restore marginal soils, or maintain soils that are healthy, resilient, and yield better, biochar is worth learning about ...as a soil supplement ...as a supplement to your good "biomass-burning power plant" idea.

"...as if there is more land for each plant!" ...to help reduce need for more deforestation.

Biochar Crop and Soil Benefits: Biochar significantly improves...

Soil Cation Exchange Capacity, Fertilizer Efficiency and "natural" Nitrogen Fixation, and Crop Productivity/Yield; as well as improves soil

Water Retention, Bulk Density (less compactable), and can help with Acidity Control and pH Buffering. It also reduces erosion and leaching.

p.s. Citations:

Biochar for Environmental Management. 2009; 416 pages, $50.00, Publ: IBI/Earthscan.

(Library of Congress Call Number: TP331 .B56 2009)

Mitigating Climate Change Through Food and Land Use. 2009; 50 pages, $12.95, Publ: Worldwatch.

(Library of Congress Call Number: S589.7 .S337 2009)

~

[renedascientist]

Algae grows faster than anything else, and it will grow in salt and soda water. It can be pressed into pellets, and used to fire a power plant. However, wind and PV solar should be used with algae pellets to take up the slack when wend and PV do not provide power. Also, liquid metal batteries can be made large enough to store energy from wind and solar to help with transients as generation changes from wind and/or PV to pellet fired power plants.

I agree with this. If a well balanced system is designed, similar to an aquaponics system, you can get a stable and more diverse output with algae like electricity, livestock feed, bioplastics, fertilizer for land restoration, etc..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algaculture

http://theaquaponicsource.com/what-is-aquaponics/

One could use local sources of initial nutrition for the algae, similar to the fish waste fertilizing the vegetation in an aquaponics system.

The algae will massively multiply, then will be harvested, dried, and pressed for the extraction of biodiesel to run a generators. and the waste byproduct which is the algae remains could be either used as feedstock, fertilizer, or can be used for a biomass burning plant to generate more energy.

Edited August 31, 2014 by renedascientist