Category Archives: Renewable Energy

The Energy Value of Agricultural Wastes

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Large quantities of agricultural wastes, resulting from crop cultivation activities, are a promising source of energy supply for production, processing and domestic activities in the rural areas. The available agricultural residues are either being used inefficiently or burnt in the open to clear the fields for subsequent crop cultivation.

agricultural-wastes

On an average 1.5 tons of crop residue are generated for processing 1 ton of the main product. In addition, substantial quantities of secondary residues are produced in agro-industries processing farm produce such as paddy, sugarcane, coconut, fruits and vegetables.

Agricultural residues often have a disposal cost associated with them. Therefore, the “waste-to-energy” conversion processes for heat and power generation, and even in some cases for transport fuel production, can have good economic and market potential. They have value particularly in rural community applications, and are used widely in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Austria and Finland.

The energy density and physical properties of agricultural biomass wastes are critical factors for feedstock considerations and need to be understood in order to match a feedstock and processing technology.

There are six generic biomass processing technologies based on direct combustion (for power), anaerobic digestion (for methane-rich biogas), fermentation (of sugars for alcohols), oil exaction (for biodiesel), pyrolysis (for biochar, gas and oils) and gasification (for carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich syngas). These technologies can then be followed by an array of secondary treatments (stabilization, dewatering, upgrading, refining) depending on specific final products.

It is well-known that power plants based on baled crop residues are efficient and cost-effective energy generators. Residues such as Rice Husks, Wheat Straw and Maize Cobs are already concentrated at a point where it is an easily exploitable source of energy, particularly if it can be utilized on-site to provide combined heat and power.

The selection of processing technologies needs to be aligned to the nature and structure of the biomass feedstock and the desired project outputs. It can be seen that direct combustion or gasification of biomass are appropriate when heat and power are required.

Anaerobic digestion, fermentation and oil extraction are suitable when specific biomass wastes are available that have easily extractable oils and sugars or high water contents. On the other hand, only thermal processing of biomass by pyrolysis can provide the platform for all of the above forms of product.

Many thermal processing technologies for agricultural waste management require the water content of biomass to be low (<15 per cent) for proper operation. For these technologies the energy cost of drying can represent a significant reduction in process efficiency.

Moisture content is of important interest since it corresponds to one of the main criteria for the selection of energy conversion process technology. Thermal conversion technology requires biomass fuels with low moisture content, while those with high moisture content are more appropriate for biological-based process such as fermentation or anaerobic digestion.

The ash content of biomass influences the expenses related to handling and processing to be included in the overall conversion cost. On the other hand, the chemical composition of ash is a determinant parameter in the consideration of a thermal conversion unit, since it gives rise to problems of slagging, fouling, sintering and corrosion.

An Introduction to Biomass Energy

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Biomass is the material derived from plants that use sunlight to grow which include plant and animal material such as wood from forests, material left over from agricultural and forestry processes, and organic industrial, human and animal wastes.

Biomass energy (or bioenergy) is a type of renewable energy generated from biological (such as, anaerobic digestion) or thermal conversion (for example, combustion) of biomass resources.

Biomass comes from a variety of sources which include:

  • Wood from natural forests and woodlands
  • Forestry plantations
  • Forestry residues
  • Agricultural residues such as straw, stover, cane trash and green agricultural wastes
  • Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane bagasse and rice husk
  • Animal wastes
  • Industrial wastes, such as black liquor from paper manufacturing
  • Sewage
  • Municipal solid wastes (MSW)
  • Food processing wastes

In nature, if biomass is left lying around on the ground it will break down over a long period of time, releasing carbon dioxide and its store of energy slowly. By burning biomass its store of energy is released quickly and often in a useful way. So converting biomass into useful energy imitates the natural processes but at a faster rate.

Biomass can be transformed into clean energy and/or fuels by a variety of technologies, ranging from conventional combustion process to advanced biofuels technology. Besides recovery of substantial energy, these technologies can lead to a substantial reduction in the overall biomass waste quantities requiring final disposal, which can be better managed for safe disposal in a controlled manner while meeting the pollution control standards.

Biomass conversion systems reduces greenhouse gas emissions in two ways.  Heat and electrical energy is generated which reduces the dependence on power plants based on fossil fuels.  The greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced by preventing methane emissions from decaying biomass.

Moreover, biomass energy plants are highly efficient in harnessing the untapped sources of energy from biomass resources and helpful in development of rural areas.

Recommended Reading: How bioenergy can help in reaching net zero targets

Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

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Cellulosic ethanol technology is one of the most commonly discussed second-generation biofuel technologies worldwide. Cellulosic biofuels are derived from the cellulose in plants, some of which are being developed specifically as “energy” crops rather than for food production. These include perennial grasses and trees, such as switchgrass and Miscanthus. Crop residues, in the form of stems and leaves, represent another substantial source of cellulosic biomass.

Bioethanol_Pump

The largest potential feedstock for ethanol is lignocellulosic biomass, which includes materials such as agricultural residues (corn stover, crop straws, husks and bagasse), herbaceous crops (alfalfa, switchgrass), short rotation woody crops, forestry residues, waste paper and other wastes (municipal and industrial).

Bioethanol production from these feedstocks could be an attractive alternative for disposal of these residues. Lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks do not interfere with food security and are important for both rural and urban areas in terms of energy security reason, environmental concern, employment opportunities, agricultural development, foreign exchange saving, socioeconomic issues etc.

Production of Ethanol

The production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass can be achieved through two different processing routes. They are:

  • Biochemical – in which enzymes and other micro-organisms are used to convert cellulose and hemicellulose components of the feedstocks to sugars prior to their fermentation to produce ethanol;
  • Thermochemical – where pyrolysis/gasification technologies produce a synthesis gas (CO + H2) from which a wide range of long carbon chain biofuels, such as synthetic diesel or aviation fuel, can be reformed.

Lignocellulosic biomass consists mainly of lignin and the polysaccharides cellulose and hemicellulose. Compared with the production of ethanol from first-generation feedstocks, the use of lignocellulosic biomass is more complicated because the polysaccharides are more stable and the pentose sugars are not readily fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 

In order to convert lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels the polysaccharides must first be hydrolysed, or broken down, into simple sugars using either acid or enzymes. Several biotechnology-based approaches are being used to overcome such problems, including the development of strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that can ferment pentose sugars, the use of alternative yeast species that naturally ferment pentose sugars, and the engineering of enzymes that are able to break down cellulose and hemicellulose into simple sugars.

Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is produced mainly via biochemical routes. The three major steps involved are pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation. Biomass is pretreated to improve the accessibility of enzymes. After pretreatment, biomass undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis for conversion of polysaccharides into monomer sugars, such as glucose and xylose. Subsequently, sugars are fermented to ethanol by the use of different microorganisms.

Pretreated biomass can directly be converted to ethanol by using the process called simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF).  Pretreatment is a critical step which enhances the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass. Basically, it alters the physical and chemical properties of biomass and improves the enzyme access and effectiveness which may also lead to a change in crystallinity and degree of polymerization of cellulose.

The internal surface area and pore volume of pretreated biomass are increased which facilitates substantial improvement in accessibility of enzymes. The process also helps in enhancing the rate and yield of monomeric sugars during enzymatic hydrolysis steps.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Pretreatment methods can be broadly classified into four groups – physical, chemical, physio-chemical and biological. Physical pretreatment processes employ the mechanical comminution or irradiation processes to change only the physical characteristics of biomass. The physio-chemical process utilizes steam or steam and gases, like SO2 and CO2.

The chemical processes employs acids (H2SO4, HCl, organic acids etc) or alkalis (NaOH, Na2CO3, Ca(OH)2, NH3 etc). The acid treatment typically shows the selectivity towards hydrolyzing the hemicelluloses components, whereas alkalis have better selectivity for the lignin. The fractionation of biomass components after such processes help in improving the enzymes accessibility which is also important to the efficient utilization of enzymes.

Conclusions

The major cost components in bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass are the pretreatment and the enzymatic hydrolysis steps. In fact, these two process are someway interrelated too where an efficient pretreatment strategy can save substantial enzyme consumption. Pretreatment step can also affect the cost of other operations such as size reduction prior to pretreatment.

Therefore, optimization of these two important steps, which collectively contributes about 70% of the total processing cost, are the major challenges in the commercialization of bioethanol from 2nd generation biofuel feedstock.

A Beginner’s Guide to Renewable Energy

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Renewable energy is all around us; we just need to figure out how to use it in our daily lives. We’ve all heard about renewable energy and the numerous benefits of switching from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas to wind power, solar power, biofuels, hydroelectricity, and hydrogen fuel cells. But what is renewable energy? And where does it come from?

Well, not only can you harness renewable energy through wind turbines and solar panels on your own home or business, but you can also benefit from the fact that companies are required to generate a certain amount of their electricity by using clean sources of power.

beginners guide to renewable energy

Even if your utility company doesn’t offer a “green” program yet, you might be surprised at how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint by simply changing what type of light bulbs or appliances you use. The first step in understanding renewable energy is learning about how it works. So, here is our guide on renewable energy for beginners.

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy is a type of energy that can be replenished easily, unlike fossil fuels. Renewable sources include sun, wind, geothermal heat and water. Non-renewable sources include coal, oil and natural gas.

Renewable sources of energy

  • Solar Energy: the conversion of sunlight into electricity by photovoltaic cells or thermal radiation collectors (solar panels) used in solar heating systems.
  • Wind Power: generation of electricity by harnessing wind power through wind turbines.
  • Hydroelectricity: the production of electricity from falling water or moving water used as an energy source.
  • Biomass Energy: biomass includes plant matter such as agricultural crops and trees used to generate energy by burning them for their chemical components like ethanol.

How To Use Renewable Energy At Home or Work

Solar panels

You can make use of solar photovoltaic panels that you have installed on your roof to generate electricity for your home or office. These panels work by harnessing the sun’s rays and converting them into electricity, which can then be used for heating or powering lights and appliances.

Solar panels generate electricity during the day, even if it is an overcast day – although they do generate more power on sunny days. You can then store this electricity in batteries, which means you will still be able to use the power generated during the day at night.

You can save an estimated £700 a year by making use of solar panels and being less reliant on the national grid.

Solar heating

Solar heating also makes use of solar panels which have been adapted to generate heat in water stored in a hot water cylinder above the solar panel. You will require a few hours of direct sunlight to get really warm water, which can then be used to heat your building or for hot water in the faucets.

Heat pumps

Air source heat pumps use heat from the outside air to provide homes and businesses with heating and hot water. Heat pumps work in all temperatures – kind of like a reverse fridge.

green heating and cooling technologies

Air source heat pumps are much more sustainable than traditional heating systems and can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and make your home much more energy-efficient.

Despite high initial installation costs, this type of heat pump can save you more than £1000 a year on heating.

Wind turbines

Small wind turbines are available for homes and offices and can either be installed on a standing pole or on the roof of a building. When the blades turn, an internal turbine is activated, which generates electricity.

Biomass

Biofuel systems burn organic material to generate heat and provide hot water. Burning biomass (like wood chips or pellets) has a much lower carbon footprint than burning fossil fuels – it is estimated that burning wood in this manner only releases as much carbon as the tree absorbed during its life, making it a carbon-neutral heating solution.

IT in the bioenergy sector

Hydroelectricity

If your home or office is located near a flowing stream, you can use a small-scale hydroelectricity plant to generate power for your building.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

Advantages

  • Clean source of energy.
  • Sustainable energy solution.
  • More affordable than fossil fuels.

Disadvantages

  • Not as cost-effective at producing electricity as fossil fuels.
  • Can be unreliable – for example, on many subsequent rainy days or days without wind, your solar panels and wind turbines will not be effective.

Final Thoughts

We hope this overview has given you a good background on renewable energy. Utilising renewable energy is a great step to reducing your carbon footprint and harnessing the power provided by nature.

The Impact of Machine Learning on Renewable Energy

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Machine learning, as well as its endgame, artificial intelligence, is proving its value in a wide variety of industries. Renewable energy is yet another sector that can benefit from machine learning’s smart data analysis, pattern recognition and other abilities. Here’s a look at why the two are a perfect match.

Predicting and Fine-Tuning Energy Production

One of the biggest misconceptions about solar power is that it’s only realistic in parts of the world known for year-round heat and intense sunshine. According to Google, around 80% of rooftops they’ve analyzed through their Sunroof mapping system “are technically viable for solar.” They define “viable” as having “enough unshaded area for solar panels.”

Even with this widespread viability, it’s useful to be able to predict and model the energy yield of a renewable energy project before work begins. This is where machine learning enters the equation.

Based on the season and time of day, machine learning can produce realistic and useful predictions for when a residence or building will be able to generate power and when it will have to draw power from the grid. This may prove even more useful over time as a budgeting tool as accuracy improves further. IBM says their forecasting system, powered by deep learning, can predict solar and wind yield up to 30 days in advance.

Machine learning also helps in the creation of solar installations with physical tracking systems, which intelligently follow the sun and angle the solar panels in order to maximize the amount of power they generate throughout the day.

Balancing the Smart Energy Grid

Predicting production is the first step in realizing other advantages of machine learning in clean energy. Next comes the construction of smart grids. A smart grid is a power delivery network that:

  • Is fully automated and requires little human intervention over time
  • Monitors the energy generation of every node and the flow of power to each client
  • Provides two-way energy and data mobility between energy producers and clients

A smart grid isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s necessary. The “traditional” approach to building energy grids doesn’t take into account the diversification of modern energy generation sources, including geothermal, wind, solar and hydroelectric. Tomorrow’s electric grid will feature thousands and millions of individual energy-generating nodes like solar-equipped homes and buildings. It will also, at least for a while, contain coal and natural gas power plants and homes powered by heating oil.

Machine learning provides an “intelligence” to sit at the heart of this diversified energy grid to balance supply and demand. In a smart grid, each energy producer and client is a node in the network, and each one produces a wealth of data that can help the entire system work together more harmoniously.

Together with energy yield predictions, machine learning can determine:

  • Where energy is needed most and where it is not
  • Where supply is booming and where it’s likely to fall short
  • Where blackouts are happening and where they are likely
  • When to supplement supplies by activating additional energy-generating infrastructure

Putting machine learning in the mix can also yield insights and actionable takeaways based on a client’s energy usage. Advanced metering tools help pinpoint which processes or appliances are drawing more power than they should. This helps energy clients make equipment upgrades and other changes to improve their own energy efficiency and further balance demand across the grid.

Automating Commercial and Residential Systems

The ability to re-balance the energy grid and respond more quickly to blackouts cannot be undersold. But machine learning is an ideal companion to renewable energy on the individual level as well. Machine learning is the underlying technology behind smart thermostats and automated climate control and lighting systems.

Achieving a sustainable future means we have to electrify everything and cut the fossil fuels cord once and for all. Electrifying everything means we need to make renewable energy products more accessible. More accessible renewable energy products means we need to make commercial and residential locations more energy-efficient than ever.

Machine learning gives us thermostats, lighting, and other products that learn from user preferences and patterns and fine-tune their own operation automatically. Smart home and automation products like these might seem like gimmicks at first, but they’re actually an incredibly important part of our renewable future. They help ensure we’re not burning through our generated power, renewable or otherwise, when we don’t need to be.

Bottom Line

To summarize all this, machine learning offers a way to analyze and draw actionable conclusions from energy sector data. It brings other gifts, too. Inspections powered by machine learning are substantially more accurate than inspections performed by hand, which is critical for timely maintenance and avoiding downtime at power-generating facilities.

Machine learning also helps us predict and identify factors that could result in blackouts and respond more quickly (and with pinpoint accuracy) to storm damage.

Given that the demand for energy is only expected to rise across the globe in the coming years, now is an ideal time to use every tool at our disposal to make our energy grids more resilient, productive and cost-effective. Machine learning provides the means to do it.

Biomass Energy in Indonesia

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It is estimated that Indonesia produces 146.7 million tons of biomass per year, equivalent to about 470 GJ/y. Sources of biomass energy in Indonesia are scattered all over the country, but the biggest biomass energy potential in concentrated scale can be found in the Island of Kalimantan, Sumatera, Irian Jaya and Sulawesi.

Empty_fruit_bunches

Studies estimate the electricity generation potential from the roughly 150 Mt of biomass residues produced per year to be about 50 GW or equivalent to roughly 470 GJ/year. These studies assume that the main source of biomass energy in Indonesia will be rice residues with a technical energy potential of 150 GJ/year.

Other potential biomass sources are rubber wood residues (120 GJ/year), sugar mill residues (78 GJ/year), palm oil residues (67 GJ/year), and less than 20 GJ/year in total from plywood and veneer residues, logging residues, sawn timber residues, coconut residues, and other agricultural wastes.

Sustainable and renewable natural resources such as biomass can supply potential raw materials for energy conversion. In Indonesia, they comprise variable-sized wood from forests (i.e. natural forests, plantations and community forests that commonly produce small-diameter logs used as firewood by local people), woody residues from logging and wood industries, oil-palm shell waste from crude palm oil factories, coconut shell wastes from coconut plantations, as well as skimmed coconut oil and straw from rice cultivation.

The major crop residues to be considered for power generation in Indonesia are palm oil, sugar processing and rice processing residues. Currently, 67 sugar mills are in operation in Indonesia and eight more are under construction or planned. The mills range in size of milling capacity from less than 1,000 tons of cane per day to 12,000 tons of cane per day. Current sugar processing in Indonesia produces 8 millions MT bagasse and 11.5 millions MT canes top and leaves.

There are 39 palm oil plantations and mills currently operating in Indonesia, and at least eight new plantations are under construction. Most palm oil mills generate combined heat and power from fibres and palm kernel shells, making the operations energy self–efficient. However, the use of palm oil residues can still be optimized in more energy efficient systems.

Other potential source of biomass energy can also come from municipal wastes. The quantity of city or municipal wastes in Indonesia is comparable with other big cities of the world. Most of these wastes are originated from household in the form of organic wastes from the kitchen. At present the wastes are either burned at each household or collected by the municipalities and later to be dumped into a designated dumping ground or landfill.

Although the government is providing facilities to collect and clean all these wastes, however, due to the increasing number of populations coupled with inadequate number of waste treatment facilities in addition to inadequate amount of allocated budget for waste management, most of big cities in Indonesia had been suffering from the increasing problem of waste disposals.

With Indonesia’s recovery from the Asian financial crisis of 1998, energy consumption has grown rapidly in past decade. The priority of the Indonesian energy policy is to reduce oil consumption and to use renewable energy. For power generation, it is important to increase electricity power in order to meet national demand and to change fossil fuel consumption by utilization of biomass wastes. The development of renewable energy is one of priority targets in Indonesia.

The current pressure for cost savings and competitiveness in Indonesia’s most important biomass-based industries, along with the continually growing power demands of the country signal opportunities for increased exploitation of biomass wastes for power generation.

3 Ways to Reuse Water Using Renewable Energy

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Water is essential to life, making it one of the most valuable resources on the planet. We drink it, use it to grow food and stay clean. However, water is of increasingly short supply and the Earth’s population only continues to expand. Many of the countries with the largest populations are also ones that use the most water. For instance, in the United States, the average person uses 110 gallons of water each day. Meanwhile, three-fourths of those living in Africa don’t have access to clean water.

To ensure we have enough water to survive — and share with those in need — the best approach is to conserve this resource and find sustainable ways of recycling it. Currently, conventional methods or water purification use about three percent of the world’s energy supply. This isn’t sustainable long-term and can have adverse effects on the environment.

Recently, however, major steps have been made to reduce both the collective water and carbon footprint. Now, there are multiple, sustainable ways to both save energy and reuse water using renewable energy.

1. Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion — or AD — is the natural process in which microorganisms break down organic materials like industrial residuals, animal manure and sewage sludge. This process takes place in spaces where there is no oxygen, making it an ideal system for cleaning and reusing wastewater. This recycled water can provide nutrients for forest plantations and farmland alike.

For example, in Yucatan, Mexico, the successful implementation of AD systems has provided water to promote reforestation efforts. This system has also helped accelerate the search for a sustainable solution to water-sanitation issues in rural Latin American communities.

Additionally, anaerobic digestion also reduces adverse environmental impacts. As the system filters water, it creates two byproducts — biogas and sludge. The biogas can be used as energy to supply electricity or even fuel vehicles. And the sludge is used as fertilizers and bedding for livestock. In poor countries, like Peru, 14 percent of primary energy comes from biogas, providing heat for food preparation and electricity to homes that would not have access to it otherwise.

2. Vapor Compression Distillation

In this process, the vapor produced by evaporating water is compressed, increasing pressure and temperature. This vapor is then condensed to water for injection — highly purified water that can be used to make pharmaceutical-grade solutions.

Vapor compression distillation is incredibly sustainable because it can produce pure water on combustible fuel sources like cow dung — no chemicals, filters or electricity necessary. This makes it water accessible to even the most rural communities.

The system only needs enough energy to start the first boil and a small amount to power the compressor. This energy can be easily supplied by a solar panel, producing roughly 30 liters of water an hour using no more energy than that of a handheld hairdryer.

3. Solar Distillation

Utilizing solar energy for water treatment may be one of the most sustainable solutions to the water crisis, without sacrificing the environment or non-renewable resources. Between 80 and 90 percent of all energy collected through commercial solar panels is wasted, shed into the atmosphere as heat. However, recent advancements in technology have allowed scientists to capture this heat and use it to generate clean, recycled water.

By integrating a solar PV panel-membrane distillation device behind solar panels, researchers were able to utilize heat to drive water distillation. This panel also increases solar to electricity efficiency. This device can even be used to desalinate seawater, providing a sustainable solution to generating freshwater from saltwater.

Environmental and Economic Benefits

Finding sustainable methods of recycling water is essential to reducing energy consumption and helping the planet, and all those dependent upon it, thrive. Using methods like anaerobic digestion and environmentally-friendly distillation processes can reduce toxic emissions and provide purified, recycled water to those who need it most.

Sustainable reuse of water can also benefit the economy. The financial costs of constructing and operating desalination and purification systems are often high compared to the above solutions. Furthermore, using recycled water that is of lower quality for agricultural and reforestation purposes saves money by reducing treatment requirements.

Tips for Using Green Energy to Power Your Life

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Are you interested in using more eco-friendly technology to power your life? And are you trying to find greener methods of energy that are just as efficient as coal, oil, or gas? If so, read on!

Using Green Energy to Power Your Life

Use Green Charging and Power Stations for Your Devices

Think of all the times you charge your phone, plug in a lamp, or plug anything else in. What do you usually plug each of those into? You likely plug it into an outlet in your wall in your home. And unless your home is powered by renewable energy, you’re increasing your carbon footprint every time you plug into the wall.

Though these methods are convenient, they are not the most environmentally friendly. However, there’s a simple alternative if you just grab the right equipment. For example, portable, clean energy power stations, such as a solar powered generator, is ideal for lowering your dependency on carbon-powered electricity. This way, you can do anything from charging your phone to powering a lamp or a box fan while using clean energy.

Using this small green solution is a good starting point for someone environmentally conscious and looking to start making a difference without making a significant investment.

Use Solar Panels to Power Your Home

If you are like most Americans, your house is probably powered by some natural gas, coal, or oil. However, you can flip that all around with an investment in solar panels.

Depending on the sun for power may sound inefficient and unreliable, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Over the years, the capability of solar panels has only increased and become a more dependable solution for homeowners.

Studies have shown that the most efficient type of solar panels to use are ones with N-type or P-type silicon energy cells and are panels that meet the Standard Test Conditions (STC). Thankfully, there are many solar panel manufacturers, so you will have plenty to choose from.

Some outside influences can affect the efficiency of the panels. These panels generally work best when the temperature is between 60 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Though they are made to be durable in colder or hotter temperatures than these, they just will not be as efficient.

Invest in an Electric Car

Though it can be costly, buying an electric car is a great way to be green. You can charge your EV by simply plugging it into your house. This may cause your electricity bill to go up. However, if your home is solar-powered, it will not cost anything to charge your vehicle.

benefits of switching to EVs

Electric cars produce almost no emissions and do not require gas and oil to be drilled up from the ground. Thus making them greener than gas or diesel-powered vehicles.

Most are subject to the rising and falling prices of gasoline. But using an electric car that does not require gas will be cheaper for you when prices are high. The monthly cost of extra electricity will not come nearly as close to the current monthly average for gas prices.

Going Green for the Planet

Every day, carbon emissions are doing more damage to the planet. So while depending more on green energy and less on fossil fuels will help the environment, you’re also doing your part to ensure a better future for you and your family.

You won’t be able to reduce your carbon footprint to nothing overnight, and not all solutions you’ll find out there are budget-friendly. However, if you do what you can, you can set your mind at ease knowing that you’re doing your best.

Bajada New Energy: Powering Homes and Businesses in Malta

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We all know the world is experiencing an environmental crisis. The ice caps have melted, natural disasters are rampant and the ozone layer is so damaged that temperatures are rising at unprecedented rates. Luckily, there’s still something each of us can do to reverse some of this damage and hopefully prevent some of the worst symptoms of human-caused climate change from occurring.

Powering your home or business with solar, wind and other alternative energy sources is by far one of the most powerful and impactful ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to the earth’s recovery.

Solar energy is no longer as expensive as it once was, thanks to a growing number of companies that are improving the technology while increasing supply. One such company is Bajada New Energy.

About Bajada New Energy

Bajada has been providing renewable energy resources in Malta for almost 30 years. This homegrown company has built a reputation as a reliable supplier of solar heaters, ET solar panels, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and so much more. The company started out by importing Australian solar water heaters from the Edwards brand and has since grown into a full-scale alternative energy supplier.

What makes Bajada New Energy unique?

Bajada is made up of a network of mechanical and electric engineers, civil engineers, architects, qualified installers and licensed electricians. As such, the company offers a comprehensive service which includes providing the product as well as the installation.

Bajada also boasts an impeccable track record. To date, they’ve installed over 12, 000 solar water heaters (and counting!) and 4 megawatts worth of Photovoltaic Systems.

They have decades of experience in the industry which is why they’re considered a leading supplier of renewable energy products and services in all of Malta.

Products

Bajada New Energy specializes in a wide array of alternative energy solutions, including:

  • PV Panels from some of the world’s leading brands. The PV system offered by Bajada includes a meter, an inverter, wiring, a support structure, solar panels and everything in between. It’s a complete system that doesn’t require you to purchase any separate “extras”.
  • Solar water heaters proudly made in Malta and can generate heat using the sun’s energy. These heaters can reduce your water heating bill by up to 80%!
  • Air conditioners: Thanks to solar powered air conditioning, keeping your office or home cool doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. This air conditioning system not only cools down the temperature but can purify the air as well.
  • Heating products from Bajada include underfloor heating, infrared heating mirrors and heated carpets, all eco-friendly and backed by a generous warranty.
  • Water filtration systems: Bajada offers water softeners, filter cans, and even a Dropson escaper which can soften salt water. There’s also a 5 & 7 Stage Reverse Osmosis Systems that sterilizes water for cooking, drinking and watering your plants.
  • Voltage optimizer: This device is designed to ensure that your appliances operate efficiently while preventing them from overheating. This means the Voltage optimizer can prolong the lifespan of your electrical appliances while reducing your home’s overall energy consumption.

It’s worth noting that each of Bajada’s products are available in a wide array of packages to suit different needs and budgets. They’re also backed by generous warranties and guaranteed installation by experienced professionals.

Benefits of Bajada New Energy

Bajada offers tailored solutions through a simple, three-step process that begins with a quotation request. Here, you’ll provide them with your details, preferred package and product brand.

Next, you’ll place an order and make installation arrangements. Lastly, Bajada will deliver and install your renewable energy system. It’s as easy as that!

The Verdict

Switching to renewable energy can seem daunting and incredibly intimidating. But, Bajada New Energy is committed to simplifying this process by providing energy efficient and cost-effective power solutions that are kind to the environment and light on your pocket.

They offer a one-stop-shop for all things alternative energy, not to mention innovative product packages.

It’s really easy to work with them and theirs is a complete service offering.

The Concept of Biorefinery

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A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and value-added chemicals from biomass. Biorefinery is analogous to today’s petroleum refinery, which produces multiple fuels and products from petroleum. By producing several products, a biorefinery takes advantage of the various components in biomass and their intermediates, therefore maximizing the value derived from the biomass feedstock.

A biorefinery could, for example, produce one or several low-volume, but high-value, chemical products and a low-value, but high-volume liquid transportation fuel such as biodiesel or bioethanol. At the same time, it can generate electricity and process heat, through CHP technology, for its own use and perhaps enough for sale of electricity to the local utility.

The high value products increase profitability, the high-volume fuel helps meet energy needs, and the power production helps to lower energy costs and reduce GHG emissions from traditional power plant facilities.

biorefinery-process

Biorefinery Platforms

There are several biorefinery platforms which can be employed in a biorefinery with the major ones being the sugar platform and the thermochemical platform (also known as syngas platform).

Sugar platform biorefineries breaks down biomass into different types of component sugars for fermentation or other biological processing into various fuels and chemicals. On the other hand, thermochemical biorefineries transform biomass into synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) or pyrolysis oil.

The thermochemical biomass conversion process is complex, and uses components, configurations, and operating conditions that are more typical of petroleum refining. Biomass is converted into syngas, and syngas is converted into an ethanol-rich mixture.

However, syngas created from biomass contains contaminants such as tar and sulphur that interfere with the conversion of the syngas into products. These contaminants can be removed by tar-reforming catalysts and catalytic reforming processes. This not only cleans the syngas, it also creates more of it, improving process economics and ultimately cutting the cost of the resulting ethanol.

Plus Points

Biorefineries can help in utilizing the optimum energy potential of organic wastes and may also resolve the problems of waste management and GHGs emissions. Biomass wastes can be converted, through appropriate enzymatic/chemical treatment, into either gaseous or liquid fuels.

The pre-treatment processes involved in biorefining generate products like paper-pulp, HFCS, solvents, acetate, resins, laminates, adhesives, flavour chemicals, activated carbon, fuel enhancers, undigested sugars etc. which generally remain untapped in the traditional processes. The suitability of this process is further enhanced from the fact that it can utilize a variety of biomass resources, whether plant-derived or animal-derived.

Future Perspectives

The concept of biomass-based refinery is still in early stages at most places in the world. Problems like raw material availability, feasibility in product supply chain, scalability of the model are hampering its development at commercial-scales. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of USA is leading the front in biorefinery research with path-breaking discoveries and inventions. 

Although the technology is still in nascent stages, but it holds the key to the optimum utilization of wastes and natural resources that humans have always tried to achieve. The onus now lies on governments and corporate sector to incentivize or finance the research and development in this highly promising field.