RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: A WAY OUT? What are the renewable energy sources?

The ultimate sources of renewable energy are:

the sun, gravity and earths rotation

Solar Energy

Bioenergy

Geothermal Energy

Wind Energy Hydroelectricity

Tidal sources of Energy

Ocean energy OceanEnergy

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Schematic of a vapor-dominated geothermal power plant

Centrifugal Separator

T
Cooling tower

Steam-jet Ejector

Direct-contact Condenser

Ground Geothermal
Production well to bring the resource to the surface Injection well to recycle the spent geothermal fluid back to the reservoir Alternate Re-injection
Condensate Pump

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 400MW Geothermal power station complex at Lardello, Italy

BIOMASS ENERGY Resources

Bioenergy resources such as forestry and agriculture crops, biomass residues and wastes already provide about 14% of the world's primary energy supplies. Bioenergy offers cost-effective and sustainable opportunities with the potential to meet 50% of world energy demands during the next decades and at the same time meet the requirement of reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

BIOMASS ENERGY BIOMASS ENERGY Bio-Refinery process

Waste Resources Fuel Processing Fuel Supply

Waste Plastics Green Waste Crop Residues Wood Waste Manure

Gas/Oil BIOREFINERY Ethanol Hydrogen Gas Methane Gas

BIOMASS ENERGY BIOMASS ENERGY Bio-Refinery process

Anima Manure

Anaerobic Bio-digester

Ethanol Process Gasifier Process

Ethanol Fuels
Hydrogen Gas

Green Waste

Gasifier Process

Plastic Waste

POET Process

Gas/Oil Distillation

Gasoline/Diesel For Electric

BIOMASS SECTORS
Large-Scale Thermal
The dominant technology Diverse range of feedstock's: wood, agricultural, MSW Flexibility: CHP and co-firing

Landfill Gas
Short term option Capturing energy otherwise wasted Mainly developed country large metropolitan areas Waste management /environmental benefits

Anaerobic Digestion
Relatively small commercial sector Farm based units important for effluent management - Asia, Western Europe Centralized units gaining in importance - e.g.. food industry By product fertilizer supports economic case

Biomass Capital Expenditure Totals, 2004-2013 (US$ billion)

Landfill Gas, 2.76 Anaerobic Digestion, 1.35
0.8 GW

1.7 GW

Large Scale 8.5 GW Thermal, 13.91

Total=$18 billion = 11 GW Capacity

Generating Electricity from the Tide Generating Electricity from the Tide Ebb generating system with a bulb turbine
Sluice Gates High Water Mark Barrage Basin

SEA

Bulb Turbine

Low Water Mark Estuary Floor

La Rance 240 MW Tidal Power Plant

ENERGY FROM THE OCEANS ENERGY FROM THE OCEANS Schematic of a closed-cycle OTEC power plant

Global Wave Power Distribution in kW/m of Crest Length

ENERGY FROM THE OCEANS ENERGY FROM THE OCEANS Ocean Waves Energy Conversion
Wave direction Velocity

Crest length

Mean water level Wave Height H Wave Length L Sea bed Water Depth D

The average power P (W/m) in a regular sine wave per meter wave front of waves with height H and period T

g H T P= 32

Principle of operation of OWC

Generator

Wells Turbine Air

OWC encloses a column of air on top of column of water

As the wave approaches OWC the internal water is raised forcing air upwards to drive turbine

As the wave trough arrives the internal water falls, drawing air back into the column via turbine

Pelamis-sea-snake

A leading light: The Pelamis wave energy device from Ocean Power Delivery Ltd

Limpet-diagram

The wells turbines rotate in the same direction regardless of the direction of the air flow. Turbines are generating regardless of upward or downward movement of the water column.

Reinforced concrete capture Chamber set into the Rock face

Air compressed and decompressed by the oscillating Water column (OWC). This causes air to be forced out and then sucked back through the wells turbines.

Wavegen's Limpet shoreline wave energy device

Wave Energy Possibilities

Shoreline
Australia

Nearshore
Denmark

Offshore
Portugal

Douglas-Westwood Associates

Forecast installed wave energy device capacity ( %) 2004-2008

Forecast wave energy Capex by country

Capital Cost for Various Power Technologies

Plant Technology Capital Cost, $/KW

Wind Turbines 800 1500 Solar Photovoltaics 5000 9000 Solar Thermal 2500 5000 Coal Thermal ( Steam-Turbine ) 400 600 Combined Cycle ( Gas Turbine ) 800 - 1200

WHERE are the Renewables growth prospects?

Five sectors will dominate the $272 bn market (2001-2010)
Wave&Current 2%

Biomass 43%

Wind 27%

Geothermal 4%
Small-Hydro 9%

Solar 15%

Costs of Electricity with and without external costs(/kWh)

Generating costs Coal / Lignite Natural gas (new) Nuclear Biomass Hydro power Photovoltaics Wind 4.3-4.8 3.4-5.0 10-14 7-9 2.4-7.7 24-48 3-5 External costs 2.3-16.9 1.1-4.5 0.2-0.8 0.2-3.4 0-1.1 0.7 0.1-0.3 Total costs 6.6-21.7 4.5-9.5 10.2-14.8 7.2-12.4 2.4-8.8 24.7-48.7 3.1-5.3

*External costs are environmental and health costs for 15 countries in Europe * Source: Mainstreaming Renewable Energy in the 21st Century, Washington,DC, May 2004