Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is a term widely used today to describe a variety of energy sources which do not have a limited supply. In contrast, fossil fuel energy sources such as coal, oil and gas are not renewable and will run out one day. Supplies of these fossil fuels are already severely depleted or just too difficult and expensive to extract and so we need to look carefully at other sources of energy with some urgency.
The main types of renewable energy are solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal. Modern Energy Systems specialise in renewable energy heating systems by extracting the energy from biomass and turning it into useful thermal energy. Renewable energy sources have a key advantage over traditional fossil fuels as they do not have the same negative environmental impact caused by CO2 emissions, in fact they are considered to be almost carbon neutral.
Biomass & Renewable Energy
Biomass simply describes any organic matter and in the form of wood has been used as a source of energy for thousands of years. It is a versatile and renewable energy source. With the energy issues that face us bio-energy is fast becoming an important form of renewable energy, one that can be grown and used sustainably, it is also a cost effective alternative to oil and gas.
Burning biomass is considered to have a near zero net greenhouse effect as the carbon dioxide given off during its combustion, which was absorbed during its growth, will be absorbed by the growth of the next biomass crop e.g. Wood, grass, straw etc. For most direct combustion systems the fuel would be in the form of wood chip or wood pellet. If using wood production residue (wood waste) as your fuel then it would need to be granulated down to an appropriate size for the fuel handling system.
Biomass renewable energy benefits:
- Cost Competitive - With the increasing price of oil and gas, biomass is a viable fuel source.
- Free Fuel - Within the woodworking industry your waste biomass is free fuel.
- Waste Management - Consuming waste wood as fuel stops it from going to landfill, and avoids transportation and landfill costs.
- Self Sufficiency - Production, processing and consumption of home grown biomass fuel crops will help build our energy self sufficiency for the long term.
- Energy Storage - Unlike solar, wind and wave energy, biomass is an energy source that is storable. It can be transported and used at any time.
- Sustainability - Increased use of wood biomass encourages the planting of forests and biomass crops which also act as carbon sinks.
