Alternative Sources of Power

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Alternative Sources of Power Energy
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Alternative Sources of Power Energy

• Alternative Fuels
• Bio-Mass
• Wind Power
• Hydro-Power

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• Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass
  can be converted directly into liquid fuels,
  called "biofuels," to help meet transportation
  fuel needs. The two most common types of biofuels
  are ethanol and biodiesel.

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Energy Policy Act (EPAct) Alternative Fuels

• Methanol, ethanol, and other alcohols
• Blends of 85 or more of alcohol with gasoline
• Natural gas and liquid fuels domestically
  produced from natural gas
• Liquefied petroleum gas (propane)
• Coal-derived liquid fuels
• Hydrogen
• Electricity
• Biodiesel (B100)
• Fuels (other than alcohol) derived from
  biological materials
• P-Series The regulatory amendments add three
  specific blends of methyltetrahydrofuran, ethanol
  and hydrocarbons (known as P-series fuels) to
  the definition of alternative fuel.

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Bio-Mass
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Prior to the industrial revolution, biomass
satisfied nearly all of man's energy demands. Up
until the 1860s, the United States used biomass,
in the form of wood, for nearly 91 of all energy
consumption. In 1992 biomass generated 1.8
billion in personal and corporate income and
employed 66,000 workers. Although presently the
majority of humankind's energy requirements are
fulfilled by fossil fuel combustion, 14 of the
world still utilizes biomass.  
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• Biomass is any organic matter, particularly
  cellulosic or lingo-cellulosic matter, which is
  available on a renewable or recurring basis,
  including trees, plants and associated residues
  plant fiber animal wastes industrial waste and
  the paper component of municipal solid waste.

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Bio-Mass Ethanol Production
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• Plants store solar energy through photosythesis
  in cellulose and lignin cells. Cellulose is
  defined as a polymer, or chain, of 6-carbon
  sugars lignin is the substance, or glue, that
  holds the cellulose chain together.
• When burned, these sugars break down and release
  energy exothermically, giving off CO2, heat and
  steam. The byproducts of this reaction can be
  captured and manipulated to create electricity,
  commonly called biopower, or fuel known as
  biofuel. (Both short for "biomass power" and
  "biomass fuel" respectively).

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• Biomass is considered to be a replenishable
  resourceit can be replaced fairly quickly
  without permanently depleting the Earths natural
  resources.
• By comparison, fossil fuels such as natural gas
  and coal require millions of years of natural
  processes to be produced. Therefore, mining coal
  and natural gas depletes the Earths resources
  for thousands of generations.
• Alternatively, biomass can easily be grown or
  collected, utilized and replaced.

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• Moreover, using biomass to create energy has
  positive environmental implications.
• Carbon dioxide is a naturally occuring gas.
  Plants collect and store carbon dioxide to aid in
  the photosynthesis process.
• As plants or other matter decompose, or natural
  fires occur, CO2 is released.

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• Before the anthropomorphic discovery of fossil
  fuels, the carbon dioxide cycle was stable the
  same amount that was released was sequestered,
  but it has since been distrupted.
• In the past 150 years, the period since the
  Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide levels in
  the atmosphere have risen from around 150 ppm to
  330 ppm, and are expected to double before 2050!

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• Biomass is an attractive energy source for a
  number of reasons. First, it is a renewable
  energy source as long as we manage vegetation
  appropriately. Biomass is also more evenly
  distributed over the earth's surface than finite
  energy sources, and may be exploited using less
  capital-intensive technologies.
• Biomass provides the opportunity for local,
  regional, and national energy self-sufficiency
  across the globe. It provides an alternative to
  fossil fuels, and helps to reduce climate change.
  It helps local farmers who may be struggling and
  provides rural job opportunites.

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Economic Benefits
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• Rural economic development and stability we
  spend 50 billion each year importing oil,
  biomass could replace half of this and direct a
  minimum of 25 billion to the U.S. economy not to
  foreign oil markets
• The United States Department of Agriculture
  estimates that 17,000 jobs are generated for
  every million gallons of ethanol

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• Defending our access to foreign oil supplies is
  extremely costly. Diversification of fuel sources
  would cut down on military spending and shift the
  focus to domestic welfare.
• The Electric Power Research Institute estimates
  that producing 5 quads of energy from 50 million
  acres of land will increase annual farm income by
  12 billion in Britain. The U.S. consumes 90
  quads annually, that's 18 times Britain's
  estimates!

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• Preservation of agricultural land that otherwise
  would be sold for residential development or
  industrial use wide open spaces!!
• Sustainable agricultural techniques for these
  crops can restore and ensure soil stability and
  health along with minimizing chemical residues
  and habitat destruction.
• Methane is 20 times more potent than CO2.
  Capturing methane from producers such as cows or
  rice fields and applying it for fuel will
  significantly reduce this greenhouse gas.

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• Increased carbon sequestering from the crops
  grown for biomass.
• Use of waste from agricultural and timber
  industries. An estimated 350 million tons of
  waste that goes to landfills could be used for
  energy production.
• No net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

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Sources Used

• US Department of Energy
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
• Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
  Technology (CEERT)
• Renewable Energy Policy Project
• American Bio-Energy Association
• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
  Department of Energy
• National Biodiesel Board