Hydro and Biomass Energy: China’s Future Energy Sustainability

Energy has easily become one of the most important necessities for our everyday lives. Without it we would simply not be able to have transportation or be able to gather any of our other resources that we depend on. If at anytime our energy supply ceases or no longer attainable the results may be horrific. However, it is quite easy to keep this from happening, It is crucial that our current population realize the importance of sustaining our present non-renewable resources. An examination of all the present energy issues and human impacts of energy conservation along with the a resource plan will show importance of energy

Biomass also generates electricity and also provides heating which is direct can be renewed into biofuels as a substitute for the fossil fuels

As the global population increases exponentially, having passed six billion in 1999, the world population is expected to be 8.9 billion by the year 2050. The worlds energy consumption will increase by an estimated 54 percent by 2025. Energy demand in the industrialized world is projected to grow 1.2 percent per year. Energy is a critical component of sustained economic growth and improved standards of living. One of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. As the world’s technological enhancements and standards of living improve, so too does their appetite for electricity.

The majority of biomass power plants use direct combustion. In a cogeneration facility the steam from the boiler is captured to heat water and buildings. Although this is a dependable technology it only achieves a thermal efficiency of 20%. This can, however, be increased by cogeneration or by co-firing which is the burning of biomass along with coal. Another method being used is gasification of biomass.

In conditions when both technologies and our needs require more and more energy, it is impossible to count only on natural resources and to think that their reserves are unlimited. This is not true. We have learned to receive electricity from irreplaceable resources – oil, gas, also from replenished - water, wind, sun. But the energy of the sun or wind is not enough for today’s rythm of our civilization. And hydroelectric and thermal power plants are not as clean and economical for the modern rhythm

From the time when man invented fire, he has put his faith in one energy source or another. Energy plays a significant factor in our lives, providing luxury, swelling productivity and letting us to live the way we want too. Our lives are exactly surrounded by energy, but we do not habitually stop to think about why those energy sources are significant. Energy is the most discussed subject and has become a basic requirement for the societies. It is an important factor on to which economies depend and prevail. Independence in energy leads to prosperity and economic progress in the country. The significance of energy generation cannot be unrecognized due to its crucial share in the industrial practice and growth of the

For over forty years now, scientists and researchers have been tirelessly searching for an alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuels have become an interesting contender in the search for the replacement of the non-renewable energy source. Biofuels have been used throughout history for over thousands of years. There is a large debate over biofuels and its true impact on the environment. Those involved in the discussion debating whether biofuels have any real overwhelming benefits compared to fossil fuels could argue for its usage. According to recent research performed by the University of Michigan, biofuels may not be the best alternative for fossil fuels. Regardless of its impact on the environment, biofuels are becoming more popular particularly when the price of oil rises.

Philip K. Werleger Jr., who is a well-known energy economists who also wrote in the International Economy (September 22, 2007) stated that, “History may well repeat from 2001 to 2020 as China, India, and other countries move from developing to developed nations. Consumption can be expected to increase at a pace close to the rate of the economic growth in these nations, just as it did in Europe, Japan, and the United States following the Second World War” And he also stated that, “While these countries may, through efficiency measures be able to produce more GDP growth with less energy, the fact is that they are now involved in building massive amounts of new infrastructure and “that infrastructure is energy intensive.”

Today, most of developed countries are able to access and enjoy plenty of energy uses; those poorer countries are still suffering for comparably expensive energy prices and highly polluted environment. It is the time to focus and transfer to alternative sources of energy with less potential of harm globally, even though fossil energy maybe is still available for the future few years. Indeed, the energy injustice means that those who suffer the most are not necessarily those who use the most energy, it is the poorer areas that will have more difficulty adapting the gap of energy shortage and climate change. Although not as direct as the slavery forms in ancient times, usage of injustice energy involves the rich continue exploiting the

With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.

Biomass has become one of the most commonly used renewable sources of energy in the last two decades. Many of the biomass fuels used today come in the form of wood products, dried vegetation, crop residues, and aquatic plants. It is such a widely utilized source of energy, probably due to its low cost and indigenous nature, that it accounts for almost 14% of the world 's total energy supply and as much as 35% in developing countries, mostly for cooking and heating. The wood from trees is most common biomass used for energy. It has been used by humans for producing energy for heating and cooking for a very long time. Biomass cannot replace our current dependence on coal, oil, and natural gas, but it can complement other renewables such as solar and wind energy. To converted biomass into usable energy in ways that are more efficient, less polluting, and at least as economical, technological innovations will be needed. Gasification is considered as a key technology for the use of biomass. In order to promote this technology in the future, advanced, cost effective, and highly efficient gasification processes and systems are required. Generally all different types of biomass can be converted by gasification into syngas mainly comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane. . From this syngas, all kinds of energy or energy carriers such as heat, power, biofuels, hydrogen, biomethane and chemicals can be provided.

China has an energy dependence problem that dwarfs that of the United States forty years

This essay focuses on two renewable energy resources. First of all, biofuel is now accepted as alternative energy in worldwide. The figures continue upward trend in the biofuel production. ‘An annual growth rate of 6.8% from 2006 to 2030 is expected for total biofuels consumption in the transport sector’ (International Energy Agency: 2008 cited in Zhou, et al., 2009:S11). Significant leaders of the biofuel market are Brazil, the United States and the European Union. The results of research indicated that 92% of the world’s ethanol is produced by Brazil and US together, while 90% of the world’s biodiesel manufactured by the EU. In addition, several developing countries in Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines have an enormous potential for biofuel production. Now these countries are

Moreover, Biomass Energy is one of the most reliable alternative energy sources in the present and the future as well. According Adria and Bethge (2013, p.9), more than 2.5 billion people still depend on biomass such as wood, waste or drug for cooking, In Nepal about 88% percent of total energy consumption is traditional biomass resources and out of the bio mass resources nearly 78% is met by wood. The majority of the wood resources are used for cooking purposes but combusted in the traditional wood stoves which causes major health and environmental impacts. Therefore, to use this limited source of energy in a more sustainable manner more efficient devices and technologies have to be promoted.

The Energy requirements of the world are rising. Hence many parts of the world are facing crisis in terms of the shortage of energy. The viable solutions to this crisis are generation of more energy on one hand and the conservation of energy on the other. The countries throughout the world are exploring alternative and unconventional sources of energy. However, there is need for more sociological understanding of the consumerist culture of use of energy. The lack of respect for the existing sources of energy may lead to wastage and shortage of energy sources for the future. In fact the policy makers on the energy choices of the future cannot afford to overlook the symbiotic relation between society and environment. The consumerist culture of our times needs to be questioned and moulded according to the needs of the future, if the sustainability of energy sources has to be maintained.