The case for the use of biomass renewable energy
This article has been supplied as a media statement and is not written by Creamer Media. It may be available only for a limited time on this website.
Company Announcement - The provision of renewable energy has been recognised in South Africa as a very feasible solution to help overcome the country’s current dire energy crisis. South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme which commenced in 2010 when the Department of Energy issued its first Request for Proposal for new generation capacity, has made great strides and been lauded a success by RE industry players the world over. The DoE is now seeking the consensus of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the procurement of an additional 6 300 MW of renewable energy.
Biomass, a lesser known but very viable form of renewable energy, entered the REIPPPP in Window 3 with the first biomass project being awarded and an investment of ZAR1061 million (US$108 million) allocated to it. Last month in Window 4, the Ngodwana Biomass Energy Project was selected as a successful renewable energy bidder. Financial close for this project will take place later this year. However Rodrigue Kamba, Project Engineer for EES Africa (Pty) Ltd, advocates an increased allocation and investment in biomass in South Africa going forward, and in this article discusses how it is used to generate energy.
EES Africa is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company providing management, engineering and auditing services to a range of industries throughout Africa. It has been instrumental in the implementation of REIPPPP projects in South Africa to date. Biomass energy is renewable energy that comes from organic material. It includes energy from both plant and animal matter. It is derived from the reaction between carbon dioxide, water and sunlight, via photosynthesis.
One of the key advantages of biomass is its versatility. Not only can it be burned directly to produce heat and energy, but it can also be converted into a gas or oil to generate electricity (bio-power) and heat, or converted into liquid fuels (bio-fuels) for transportation needs. “Biomass can be converted into electric power through several methods. The most common is direct combustion of biomass material, such as agricultural waste or woody materials,” says Kamba.
Other options include co-firing, gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion. Kamba explains: “Co-firing involves burning biomass, along with coal, in traditional plant boilers. Gasification produces a synthesis gas with usable energy content by heating the biomass with less oxygen than needed for complete combustion. Pyrolysis yields bio-oil by rapidly heating the biomass in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic digestion produces a renewable natural gas when organic matter is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen.”
Kamba cites electricity from sugarcane as a typical example of biomass energy. “Sugarcane bagasse is the pulp or residue left after sugarcane is crushed, with the juice being used to make sugar. The bagasse is then burnt to generate electricity.”
Kamba concludes: “Biomass has a significant role to play in renewable energy generation, overcoming global warming and ensuring a sustainable future. If biomass energy is generated and produced correctly in ways that enhance and protect the environment it can be sustainable for generations to come.”
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation