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50RENEWABLE ENERGY BACKGROUNDOFFICE OF ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK 2010A 1.3 BioenergyA 1.3.3 TECHNOLOGIESBioenergy technologies are similar in that they relyon chemically complex and heterogeneous reactions,A 1.3.1 INTRODUCTIONand are versatile in that they can provide solid,liquid or gaseous fuels. These products can be usedOrganic matter, or bioenergy, can be converted intoas transport fuels or to generate electricity and heat.energy (heat and/or electricity) using a variety ofIn some cases, the technology may produce multipletechnologies. Bioenergy technology is a proven,products, such as charcoal, activated carbon, plantmature technology. The two main forms of bioenergyextracts, fertilisers, soil conditioners, as well asinclude the gasification of bioenergy (e.g. organic waste)energy products. Energy crops may also be usedunder anaerobic conditions to form biogas (includesto alleviate salinity problems, provide habitat forwaste-to-energy streams such as landfi ll) and thenative fauna, limit erosion, improve water qualitydirect combustion of bioenergy to generate energy.and improve nutrient cycling.The energy value of bioenergy originally comes from The basic bioenergy technologies available are:solar energy, through photosynthesis. The chemicalanaerobic digestion;energy that is stored in plants and animals, or inthe wastes they produce, is called bioenergy.direct combustion;During conversion processes such as combustion,pyrolysis;bioenergy releases its stored chemical energy.gasifi cation;Bioenergy can be used directly for electricityfermentation; andgeneration, steam for industrial uses, heating, cooking, transesterfi cation.or indirectly by converting it into a liquid or gaseous ·fuel (eg, ethanol from cellulose in woody bioenergy A 1.3.4 GENERATING HEAT AND POWERor starch/sugar crops or biogas from animal waste). Products created in the above technologies in theBioenergy-based generators have the advantage of form of biogas, producer gas, syngas, ethanol andnot being dependant on weather conditions and can biodiesel can be converted to thermal energy bydeliver output at specifi c times of demand, providing combustion. Electrical energy is achieved by conversionmaximum fi nancial return, due to the inherent of the thermal energy via a number of different methods.energy storage in bioenergy.The current technologies capable of converting theseproducts into useable forms of energy include:A 1.3.2 BIOENERGY RESOURCESreciprocating gas engines;There are many types of bioenergy that can be utilised gas turbines;as a resource for renewable energy. These resourcesboiler and steam turbines;can be grouped under the following broad headings:Stirling engine; andEnergy crops – e.g. fast growing agricultural crops· fuel cells (potentially).and forestry species;·Agricultural crop residues – e.g. straw,A 1.3.5 CURRENT APPLICATIONS·husks and stubble;In 2007, less than one per cent of Australia’s totalForestry residues – e.g. sawmill andenergy supply was generated using bioenergy.·plantation residues;In comparison, the USA generates 40 terawattAnimal wastes – e.g. manure and abattoir wastes; hours of electricity. This is equivalent to the entireIndustrial wastes – e.g. fruit and vegetable scraps grid-connected electricity demands of Western·and processing wastes;Australia, South Australia and Tasmania combined.Bioenergy contributes 14 per cent of Finland’sMunicipal solid (green); and· Waste sewage. energy needs, 6 per cent in Denmark and delivers5 per cent in Sweden.Mallee has the potential to be a large-scale salinitycontrol crop and source of bioenergy for industrialproducts and electricity generation. There is alsosignifi cant potential to generate energy from plantationharvest residue in Western Australia. The applicationsof bioenergy can be categorised for use as transportfuels, heating, cooling or electricity generation.75963- 0
·=A 1.4 Hydro EnergyA 1.4.1 INTRODUCTIONHydro-electric power refers to electricity producedby the movement of water from rivers and lakes.It is the most established and mature form ofrenewable energy, with commercial hydro plantsoperating since the late 1800s.Globally, hydroelectric output increased by 2.8 per centin 2008. China accounted for all of the world’snet increase, with output rising by 20.3 per cent.Today, about 860,000 MW of hydro power contributesto one sixth of the electricity generation capacity ofthe world. It is estimated that only one third of theeconomically feasible hydro power potential worldwidehas been developed so far.A 1.4.2 CURRENT APPLICATIONSThe installed hydro power capacity in Australiais 7.8 GW, which represents over 6.1 per cent ofAustralia’s total energy supply.The advantages of hydro power include:virtually free generation of energy once·the dam is built;water can be stored above the dam ready to cope·with peaks in demand;possibility to supply rated power output very·quickly after start, unlike other power stations; andcontinuous generation of electricity.However, Western Australia has few suitable sitesfor signifi cant hydro-electric facilities and nonenear major load centres. The establishment of newlarge-scale hydro power schemes in Australia isunlikely due to widespread environmental concernsregarding the fl ooding of large areas of land.OFFICE OF ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK 2010A 1.5 Wave EnergyA 1.5.1 INTRODUCTIONWave energy could offer an alternative source of baseload power. The regular storms in the Southern Oceanalong the southern coastline of Australia deliverconstant swells to the shoreline, making wave energyhighly predictable and reliable.Waves, particularly those of large amplitude,contain large amounts of energy. Wave energycan be considered a stored and concentratedform of solar energy, since the winds that producewaves are caused by pressure differences in theatmosphere arising from solar heating.A 1.5.2 POTENTIALIt is estimated that near-shore wave energy couldprovide four times our current national power needs.By utilising just 10 per cent of this potential waveenergy, around 35 per cent of Australia’s currentpower demand could be supplied through thisrenewable energy source.A 1.5.3 TECHNOLOGIESThree approaches to capturing wave energy are:fl oats or pitching devices;·oscillating water columns (OWC); and·wave surge or focusing devices.·However, the attempts to design and deploycost-effi cient devices have been met with limitedsuccess (the main success being the use of waveenergy to power several hundred navigation buoys).A renewed interest in wave energy throughout theworld has been seen, with several companiescurrently developing and deploying new devicesthat represent a signifi cant improvement overolder concepts.51RENEWABLE ENERGY BACKGROUND
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Page 71 and 72: TERMGasifi cationGasoholGreen Power
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