Distributed Biomass Waste-to-Energy Technology for a Sustainable Future

The majority of electricity in the U.S. is produced at large, centralized coal, gas or nuclear power plants. Only Hawaii still maintains significant oil-fired power generation. For the past several years, however, federal and state rules, incentives, and energy portfolio standards have led to significant new power generation from sustainable sources of distributed energy, such as locally available biomass.

Distributed biomass power generation systems can range in size from less than 1 MW to 50 MW, depending on the amount of opportunistic, residual, or waste biomass fuel available. Oftentimes, landfill restrictions or higher costs stimulate interest in smaller biomass power systems. These opportunity biomass fuels and feedstocks can include forestry byproducts, used railroad ties, high-moisture animal waste, or liquid effluents generated in ethanol distilleries and food-processing plants. In utilizing these waste materials, not only can power be generated sustainably, but the amount of material that needs treatment or processing prior to landfilling is reduced, thereby reducing costs for producers.

Read More :  http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/6228/distributed-biomass-waste-to-energy-technology-for-a-sustainable-future/

• NikhilM. Patel