Biomass Waste-To-Energy Solutions in France
Late last night I was on a Skype call with a friend, a clean energy aficionado based in Central France. He went on at length about some of the projects he’s pursuing, several of which are various types of pyrolysis plants that will invoke some extremely specific equipment that I never knew existed. I learned about machines that process corn and miscanthus, as well as:
• Plastic bottles, includes delabeling and unscrewing the caps (which have more calorific value per gram than the rest of the bottle). Who knew?
• Food waste, especially the byproducts from making chocolate that are particularly energy-rich. Again, news to me.
• Dying pines trees my friend believes were victims of climate change, many of which were planted by Napoleon’s people who wanted to ensure France would always have enough wood to build war ships. Wow, a free lesson in European history!
We also talked about equipment to chill solar panels to create better efficiency and longer life. Can this be cost-effective? Apparently he thinks so.
As we were talking I had two main thoughts:
1) The Europeans sure are all over renewable energy solutions; this is a discussion you’d be unlikely to have in the U.S.
2) I don’t see anything wrong with these concepts, and it’s good that people are getting creative in their quest to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels – yet it’s clear that none of these niche biomass ideas will make a strategic difference in the world energy picture. To me, the most exciting ideas are what I call “hitting the broad side of the energy barn,” taking advantage of the fact that the Earth receives 6000 times more energy from the sun every day than all 7 billion of us use. We need a solution, or a set of solutions, that effectively harnesses 1/6000th of that energy, and we can all go home and pretend we never heard of fossil fuels. Better yet, we can deploy efficiency and conservation technologies, making the fraction even tinier.
Having said that, I tip my beret to my friend, and to everyone doing anything they can to move in the direction of sustainability.
“… taking advantage of the fact that the Earth receives 6000 times more energy from the sun every day than all 7 billion of us use.”
That information is about as useful as knowing the distance between Ganymede and Jupiter and has been repeated many times and in many places.
On average, at any one point, in sunny weather solar energy is available for only 10 hours per day. In winter it is less; in summer it is more. But when one includes the fact that full power is available during a much lesser portion of the day and that the weather can be cloudy for days at a time, solar power doesn’t look very good. To be sure it has its uses, but not as a major source of power for large developed countries.
“That information is about as useful as knowing the distance between Ganymede and Jupiter and has been repeated many times and in many places.”
I firmly disagree, Frank. The 6000 and 7 billion numbers that Craig mentions are both highly relevant to our own planet and our biosphere, and these numbers he shares obviously serve to encourage the wider acceptance of the known and demonstrated viability of solar thermal, and solar energy applications in general, among readers who have not been exposed to the numbers elsewhere.
In contrast, the distance between Ganymede and Jupiter is useless to nearly all but astronomers and spaceflight technicians. I strongly suspect that you must have realized that your comparison is complete hyperbole, and therefore not particularly useful in itself.
Your comment reveals a level of antagonism toward solar thermal that is quite unwarranted, given the potential of efficient High Voltage Direct Current transmission over long distances from both ideal and highly suitable climate areas that are widely dispersed in many nations (and therefore available to nearly all nations), and given the recent advances that resolve concerns about storage. Indeed, people in Germany are looking at solar generation in Africa for consumers in Europe.
Solar thermal a relatively simple and highly elegant solution set that is being seriously pursued by entities both commercial and governmental, and they are thoroughly considering and addressing your aging concerns. Advances continue and efficiencies increase – it is only a matter of time and political will.
Cameron, it’s interesting that you mention High Voltage DC transmission. It’s not well known even to Canadians that one of our major long-distance transmission lines, the one from the hydroelectric plant at Churchill Falls, Manitoba, is a High Voltage Direct Current system.
Thomas Edison argued for DC transmission back in the 1890’s. If electronics technology and DC motor technology had been as advanced as it is today, it would possibly have won out over AC. Given today’s technology, it makes sense.
Thank you, David, for sharing your great info about Canada’s successful use of long distance HVDC!
I’ve known several Canadians over the years and – while in total they’ve not necessarily amounted to a statistically forceful sample – I must tell you that, down to the last person, I found them all to be the most rational and practical of people. I applaud your nation’s successes, and hope we may learn a few things from you down here!
Yes, I’ve actually read that AC investor Mr. Westinghouse (of electrical appliance fame) organized a traveling show that electrocuted pigs before general public audiences to show how ‘dangerous’ DC current is, in order to discredit competing (and often superior) DC technologies.
Similar tactics are constantly practiced today by vested interests in energy politics – sometimes rather more subtle and sophisticated, but with the similarly dishonest means and ends.
Thanks again for chiming in! 🙂
The electrocuted animal stunt was actually done by Thomas Edison to demostrated the danger of AC currents. But I am generally with you on the solar energy use.
I guess your comment is quite cynical. Just imagine, solar PV plants are producing over 2 GW of electrical power even in these early days of PV technology development! Isn’t that clear sign of installed PV capacity reaching Terawatt not too distant in the future? Everyday we hear of new breakthroughs in PV efficiency gains. Though incremental, ultimately accruals will be significant and more and more cost effective. Even in this article Craig talks of economical chilling of PV cells to boost generation efficiency. In sum, these are exciting times for the RE technology developments. Once the industry comes out of governmental subsidy umbrella, it has all the ingredients to boost global economy out of the recessionary cycle.
I appreciate the information from France. I don’t agree with your editorial comments 100%, but I will share this link. Thanks.
Thanks Craig, You are right, However, The U.S. is still 20 to 30 years behind on Renewable ENERGY, Solar is good, and the comments on here are somewhat true, Even though solar does not completely put someone off the grid, It is the Power Cells that store and power a home for example, if you really look at how much electricity it takes to run a home you would really be amazed. Americans have gotten so spoiled by the Government as a whole, We have lost sight of 1% of something is better than no % of nothing.
Have you looked into the work of Jean Pain? Permies.com has a thread on his work in France. Letting bacteria heat trimmings up and harvesting heat and gas is a fascinating and complicated topic. Ambient temperature makes a big difference, and is a factor to consider, but this process has great potential in many places.
Thanks, I’ll check that out.
I believe that the most promising sources of energy are Solar and wind energy to elevate the ever uprising prices of fossil fuels. However sometimes other factors like environmental and social reasons are more justifiable. The most important thing is to let our thoughts to be materialize as soon as possible. After this engineering methods can deal with any problems may arise here and there. We must work very hard with open mined and heart to see practical and economical solution have immediate applications.
Craig, are you aware of the pyrolysis plant (built by Plasco) here in Ottawa, Ontario, that is being used for processing of the city’s municipal waste and generating electricity as a byproduct? The system is still in the evaluation stage, I believe, and not big enough to process all of the city’s waste- but we’re working on it. It’s a little closer to California than France.
I actually wasn’t familiar with it, but I am now. http://www.plascoenergygroup.com/. Thanks for the intro; hope it works out.
I am sorry to learn you have not been as up on our own effors at deployable waste to energy Tech,I had sent you a couple of letters to delve into that subject.(investment-wise)
I would like to try again I suppose.Perhaps you have an ear for it this time.Our National effort has been underway for a couple of years.
There have been breakthroughs. Projects, programs on the way and under way.A fact, many other Countries are investing we are still behind mostly in need recognition.
If you’ve made improvements, please call or write and tell me about them.
what will be the cost involved in implementing 100tons/day waste to energy project
what is the potensial of energy in the sea currents and moving waves?
Pakistan is in need all type of energy sources due to continues energy crises since long and needs working relations/B2B with French,E.U companies for all Renewable,specially Biomass,Bio-Gass,
solar & wind etc.
with urgent business relation/links as under;
Alternative Energy Scientific and Engineering Research
Sustainable Business Educational and Investment News
Biomass Waste-To-Energy Solutions
Hi Craig, I heartily agree with your comments. Are you familiar with the idea of solar panels in orbit, using microwave technology to beam electricty down?
Reg Wessels
Earth Corporation
I would say that I’m nominally familiar with the subject. Here’s the Wikipedia page on the subject; it’s interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power.
Why go through pruolosis when our furnace accomplishes the same result with a step less and is more environmentally friendly.
nsreef@cs.com
I wish I might understand this better. I have been trying to clean up the Tijuana River watershed and the comments about plastic bottles and food waste might be of great use to this area. It’s just that I come away with nothing actionable here. Who knew?