Search

The population of Pakistan is increasing rapidly and hence the energy demand. Since ninety׳s, people of Pakistan has been experiencing load shedding because of the intense shortfall throughout the country. Pakistan, being an agricultural country, has a lot of potential of renewable energy sources especially biomass. The thing is to utilize the potential in a right direction. This paper presents the policy direction to get rid of the current energy crisis in the country through utilization of different types of biomass. The animal manure, municipal solid wastes and the crop residues are the main biomass sources in the country. This study also focuses the potential of main biomass sources present in the country and its technical routes for the production of bioenergy. The design parameters for standard bioreactor of gasifier and anaerobic digestion and their economic comparison are highlighted with respect to Pakistan environmental conditions. The development of anaerobic digestion technology is reviewed critically. This paper also discusses the different scenarios for the use of biomass sources in urban and rural environment. This verifies the use of biogas energy as the cheapest and the safest way to remove the crisis from the country. The stand-alone biogas plants should be constructed throughout the country where there is not electrification infrastructure exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a review on solid biofuel usage in Lithuania after decommission of Ignalina NPP and cover the period 2007–2012. Lithuania has limited quantity of indigenous energy resources and is depended upon the import of energy resources, such as natural gas, petroleum and hard coal. Up to the year 2009 about 70–80% of electricity was produced from NPP. Lithuanian energy dependence from energy resources in 2009 was about 50.3%. At the end of 2009, NPP was decommissioned and the structure of gross inland fuel and energy consumption changed radically. Lithuania׳s energy dependence on the imports of fuel increased to about 82% and considerably exceeded the EU average 54%. The share of indigenous and renewable energy sources (RES) in gross inland fuel and energy consumption increased from 14.7% in 2009 to 21.4% in 2013 from which about 86% of RES belonged to solid biofuels. The RES became one of the main driving forces of the country׳s economy. In this paper, the Lithuanian solid biofuel resources and energy production up to the 2013 are presented. Growing stock volume, forest coverage, productivity of stands and consumption for energy production in Lithuania and its counties are defined. Fuels and energy flows diagram and distribution of solid biofuels by economy sectors and consumer groups are shown. Solid biofuels usage impact to gross inland and final energy consumption was studied. Implementation of solid biofuels for heat and electricity generation in Lithuania was researched. Solid biofuel prices were examined and comparison with prices of natural gas and fuel oil was done. Principles and criteria for sustainable solid biofuels production and usage were disclosed. The reduction of total greenhouse gases emissions in Lithuania and other EU countries were shown. Strategic initiatives to increase the RES share in electricity and heating sectors till 2020 were highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biomass supplies about 66% of total energy consumption in Zimbabwe. In recent times there has been an increasing interest in the country to increase the utilization of biomass resources for energy purposes. The major biomass materials found in Zimbabwe are fuelwood, crop and forestry residues, animal dung, energy crops, municipality and industrial wastes. Biomass energy conversion technologies include anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification, transesterification, fermentation and combustion. The premise of this paper is that as a component of a renewable energy mix, biomass should play an important role in sustainable energy systems in Zimbabwe. With an estimated total energy value of 409pJ, biomass is a huge energy resource for the country and must be optimally exploited. However, traditional utilization of solid biomass materials as a primary source of energy continues to be prevalent in Zimbabwe today. The trend should be to move from traditional biomass energy to improved and modern biomass energy technologies. This is evidenced by numerous projects that have been undertaken in pursuit of this endeavor. The aim of this paper is to review the state of biomass energy technologies in Zimbabwe with a view to provide aggregated information that will inform research, development and policies related to biomass energy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The serious energy supply problems along with the conventional resources depletion and the environmental conscience regarding global warming and climate change have urged the need for a complete change in the energy production, supply and consumption patterns. Therefore, the switch towards renewable energy resources including solar, biomass, wind and hydro-power in addition to the development of energy efficient technologies are two key factors to attain a secure and reliable energy sector and to mitigate the global warming problem. Tri-generation is one of the most promising technologies allowing the efficient simultaneous production of heat, coolth and power with potential technical, economic and environmental benefits. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the latest developments in the field of combined cooling, heating and power generation. Recent tri-generation supporting mechanisms, prime movers, cooling technologies, system configurations, fuels and renewable energy resources employed are presented and discussed. As the operation strategy is the critical factor governing the tri-generation system performance, the current work presents the recent strategies developed and implemented to optimize the system performance and improve its overall efficiency. While certain technologies employed in tri-generation systems as internal combustion engines, gas turbines and absorption cooling are well-established and have already found their way to the commercial market, other promising technologies including organic Rankine systems, fuel cells and liquid desiccant cooling, are still in the research and development phase with additional work needed to demonstrate their potential and reach commercialization. Based on the detailed and comprehensive review conducted, a summary with the main conclusions in addition to recommendations for future work are reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper assesses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of forest bioenergy supply and utilization in Finland. Each step in the supply chains of harvesting residues (HR), small-diameter energy wood (EW) and stumps (ST) is assessed separately, with geography-related differences between Northern and Southern Finland (NF and SF) taken into consideration. Furthermore, the GHG performance of five distinct bioenergy options—(1) combined heat and power production, (2) condensing power production, (3) torrefied pellets, (4) gasification, and (5) pyrolysis oil production—is assessed and compared with that of current reference systems in Finland and also the European Union (EU) sustainability criteria. If soil carbon stock (SCS) changes and possible storage emissions are omitted, the GHG emissions deriving from the supply chain of comminuted forest biomass to plants are 2.4, 3.0, and 2.6gCO2eqMJ−1 for HR, EW, and ST in SF, respectively. In NF, the corresponding values are 2.9, 3.6, and 3.2gCO2eqMJ−1, respectively. If SCS changes and possible emissions from storage are accounted for, the emissions for HR, EW, and ST are in the ranges 9.2–49.2, 24.4–64.4, and 33.1–73.1gCO2eqMJ−1 in SF and 12.7–52.7, 29.4–69.4, and 39.5–79.5gCO2eqMJ−1 in NF. Most supply-chain GHG emissions arise from SCS changes and possible emissions from storage of comminuted biomass, both of which may involve significant uncertainty factors. In comparison to local reference systems, significant GHG savings can be achieved through energy utilization of forest biomass, but if SCS changes and, in particular, storage emissions are taken into account, fulfillment of the EU sustainability criteria is not guaranteed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Contribution to satisfying the final energy demand, the necessities arises from waste minimization, and rural area's developments are the main incentives for biofuel usage in the Iranian energy supply system. This paper develops a model for the supply chain of bioethanol and bioETBE from the farms to the end users which integrates the temporal and spatial scales. It considers the techno-economical evaluations of first and second generation biofuels. The results provide practical insights for decision makers to introduce the biofuel into the Iranian energy systems. Here, the optimal designs of transition pathways of biofuel supply chain are available which successfully assesses the benefits and barriers to the decision maker. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes utilization of carbon-negative biofuels from low-input high-diversity grassland biomass on degraded lands (LIHD) for energy including energy equivalent to green house gases (GHG) capture and storage. The results show that the energy output of LIHD biomass on degraded soil is nearly equal to that of ethanol from conventional corn grain on fertile soil. It has also been shown that LIHD biofuel is far more economical than the conventional biofuels such as corn ethanol or soybean biodiesel. China is a large agriculturally developing country, with its rural area largely populated and vast land degraded. It is in this respect that we analyzed the utilization of LIHD. The potential of using energy from LIHD biomass on degraded lands in China is estimated. The results show that the potential energy production of LIHD biomass reaches 6350971.32TJyear−1, accounting for about 15% of China’s energy consumption in 2002. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]