"Understanding the Future of Sustainable Energy"

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Future Grid

What can you do?

We will undoubtedly continue to use coal and natural gas  for electrical power generation in the foreseeable future.  While it is more desirable to use carbon neutral, clean renewable resources (solar, wind, biomass, ect), we must continue to improve the efficiency of fossil fuel generators to minimize the environmental impacts of fossil fuel electrical power generation.  An increase in efficiency corresponds to savings in fuel cost as well as a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, as less fuel must be "burned" per given amount of power. Large energy companies such as General Electric, Siemens, Royce-Roll, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry are always trying to increase the efficiency of their respective electrical power generation technology to reduce the cost of electrical power generation making their respective technologies more attractive. 

New technologies, such as fuel cells currently being developed by companies such as Siemens and Rolls Royce with governmental support, could substantially increase the electrical power generation efficiency of biomass, natural gas, and coal power generation. 

Along with technology improvements, energy concepts such as combined heat and power, can substantially increase the effectiveness of power plants, by effectively using the waste heat from electrical power generation.  For example, by generating electricity near the point of use, it is possible to use the electrical power generation waste heat to provide heating or industrial process heat.  Instead of rejecting the heat from electrical power generation and then burning more fuel to provide heat for heating or industrial processes the waste heat from the generator is used directly.  In combined heat and power the overall system efficiency of electrical power generation can increase from 40% to 80% resulting in a 50% increase in fuel efficiency and a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. We must strive to integrate power generation and heat requirements to the maximum extent possible. 

Even if we are able to move away from fossil fuel generation, technology developed with high fuel to electrical conversion efficiency (such as fuel cells) can be used in biomass electrical power generation.  Efforts to increase conversion efficiency are needed to reduce the amount of heat wasted to the environment.