The Case for WTE as a Renewable Source of Energy

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolas J. Themelis ◽  
Karsten Millrath
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Municipal Solid Wastes ◽  
Renewable Source

The combustion of municipal solid wastes for generating electricity (Waste-To-Energy) has been recognized by several states as a renewable source of energy. Yet, there has been determined opposition by some environmental groups to including WTE in the portfolio of renewable energy sources that will benefit from a tax credit designed to decrease reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels. While WTE is considered worldwide as a solid waste management option, the recognition and acceptance of WTE as a clean source of energy still requires public involvement and education. This paper will examine the “pro” and “con” arguments for considering WTE as a renewable energy source.

Potential for the First WTE Facility in Mumbai (Bombay) India

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perinaz Bhada ◽  
Nickolas J. Themelis
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Collection Efficiency ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Waste Dumps ◽  
The City

The city of Mumbai (Bombay), India is facing a solid waste management crisis. The infrastructure has been unable to keep pace with economic development and population growth, resulting in insufficient collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) and over-burdened dumps. Improper disposal of solid wastes over several decades and open burning of garbage have led to serious environmental pollution and health problems. This study examined the solid waste management process in Mumbai and the potential for implementation of waste-to-energy facilities. Mumbai’s average per capita waste generation rate is 0.18 tonnes per person. Although the reported collection efficiency of MSW is 90%, almost half of the city’s 12 million people live in slums, some of which do not have access to solid waste services. The most pressing problem is the acute shortage of space for landfilling. When the present waste dumps were constructed they were at the outskirts of the city, but now they are surrounded by housing colonies, thus exposing millions of people to daily inconveniences such as odors, traffic congestion, and to more serious problems associated with air, land, and water pollution and the spread of diseases from rodents and mosquitoes. Mumbai is the financial center of India and has the highest potential for energy generation from the controlled combustion of solid wastes. The lower heating value of MSW is estimated in this study to be 9 MJ/kg, which is slightly lower than the average MSW combusted in the E.U. (10 MJ/kg). The land for the first WTE in Mumbai would be provided by the City and there is a market for the electricity generated by the WTE facility. The main problem to overcome is the source of capital since the present “tipping fees” are very low and inadequate to make the operation profitable and thus attract private investors. Therefore, the only hope is for the local government and one or more philanthropists in Mumbai to team up in financing the first WTE in India as a beacon that improves living conditions in Mumbai, reduces the City’s dependence on the import of fossil fuels, and lights the way for other cities in India to follow.

scholarly journals Post COVID-19 Recovery and 2050 Climate Change Targets: Changing the Emphasis from Promotion of Renewables to Mandated Curtailment of Fossil Fuels in the EU Policies

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1347
Author(s):  
Kyriakos Maniatis ◽  
David Chiaramonti ◽  
Eric van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
The European Union

The present work considers the dramatic changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the global economy, with particular emphasis on energy. Focusing on the European Union, the article discusses the opportunities policy makers can implement to reduce the climate impacts and achieve the Paris Agreement 2050 targets. The analysis specifically looks at the fossil fuels industry and the future of the fossil sector post COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis first revises the fossil fuel sector, and then considers the need for a shift of the global climate change policy from promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources to curtailing the use of fossil fuels. This will be a change to the current global approach, from a relative passive one to a strategically dynamic and proactive one. Such a curtailment should be based on actual volumes of fossil fuels used and not on percentages. Finally, conclusions are preliminary applied to the European Union policies for net zero by 2050 based on a two-fold strategy: continuing and reinforcing the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive to 2035, while adopting a new directive for fixed and over time increasing curtailment of fossils as of 2025 until 2050.

Nigeria: Advancing the Cause of Renewable Energy in Nigeria’s Power Sector Through its Legal Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 433-444
Author(s):  
Olusola Joshua Olujobi ◽  
Temilola Olusola-Olujobi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Oil Sector

Fossil fuels have been the mainstream of energy supply and a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the Federal Government of Nigeria, in spite of being an unrenewable and unsustainable source of energy. Nigeria is yet to tap into the full benefits after privatising its power sector, including the new global evolution in the energy sector and the resulting increasing demand for renewable energy sources, which some consider to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels and their allied products. Energy security is a challenge to socio-economic development in Nigeria, due to the country’s over-dependency on fossil fuels. In terms of their impact and the potentials to preserve energy sources for longevity and sustainability, however, fossil fuels will come to be seen as an out-dated alternative in the power sector as the energy industry evolves. The implications for Nigeria’s oil sector will not be limited to dwindling crude oil prices. The concerns include poor energy utilisation in Nigeria and the need to promote energy efficiency and sustainability. They have led to the formulation of new energy policies around the world to serve as a vehicle for translating solutions into reality. This study has adopted a library-based legal research method with a comparative approach. The study reveals that it is the lack of a coherent legal framework with incentives for using renewable energy that is largely seen as the key issue causing slow uptake of renewable energy as an alternative source of energy in Nigeria. As well as the need for a coherent legal framework on energy and incentives for using renewable energy sources, the study advocates stringent enforcement of existing energy regulatory policies.

scholarly journals Advancing Grid-Connected Renewable Generation Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3058
Author(s):  
Elizaveta Liivik ◽  
Yongheng Yang ◽  
Ariya Sangwongwanich ◽  
Frede Blaabjerg
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Power Electronics ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Renewable Generation ◽  
Renewable Source ◽  
History Of

If we look at the history of renewable energy sources (RESs), how it all began, and how rapidly they continue to develop, it can be argued that one of the main reasons is due to the rapid improvements in power electronics technology in interfacing the renewable source to the grid [...]

scholarly journals Municipal Solid Waste Characterization and Landfill Gas Generation in Kakia Landfill, Makkah

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1462
Author(s):  
Faisal A. Osra ◽  
Huseyin Kurtulus Ozcan ◽  
Jaber S. Alzahrani ◽  
Mohammad S. Alsoufi
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Landfill Gas ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Generation Model ◽  
Gas Generation ◽  
Municipal Solid Wastes ◽  
Makkah City

In many countries, open dumping is considered the simplest, cheapest, and most cost-effective way of managing solid wastes. Thus, in underdeveloped economies, Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) are openly dumped. Improper waste disposal causes air, water, and soil pollution, impairing soil permeability and blockage of the drainage system. Solid Waste Management (SWM) can be enhanced by operating a well-engineered site with the capacity to reduce, reuse, and recover MSW. Makkah city is one of the holiest cities in the world. It harbors a dozen of holy places. Millions of people across the globe visit the place every year to perform Hajj, Umrah, and tourism. In the present study, MSW characterization and energy recovery from MSW of Makkah was determined. The average composition of solid waste in Makkah city is organic matter (48%), plastics (25%), paper and cardboard (20%), metals (4%), glass (2%), textiles (1%), and wood (1%). In order to evaluate energy recovery potential from solid waste in Kakia open dumpsite landfill, the Gas Generation Model (LandGEM) was used. According to LandGEM results, landfill gas (methane and carbon dioxide) generation potential and capacity were determined. Kakia open dump has a methane potential of 83.52 m3 per ton of waste.

Integrated Management of Solid Wastes for New York City

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolas J. Themelis
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Waste To Energy ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Municipal Solid Wastes ◽  
Energy Plant

This report presents the results of a study that examined alternatives to landfilling the municipal solid wastes (MSW) of New York City. Detailed characterization of the wastes led to their classification, according to materials properties and inherent value, to “recyclable”, “compostable”, “combustible”, and “landfillable”. The results showed that the present rates of recycling (16.6%) and combustion (12.4%) in New York City can be increased by a) implementing an automated, modern Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that separates the blue bag stream to “recyclables” and “combustibles”, and b) combusting the non-recyclable materials in a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility. Combustion of wastes to produce electricity is environmentally much preferable to landfilling. An advanced technology for combustion is that used in a modern Waste-to-Energy plant (SEMASS, Massachusetts) that processes 0.9 million metric tons of MSW per year, generates a net of 610 kWh per metric ton of MSW, recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and has lower emissions than many coal-fired power plants.

scholarly journals Advances in Underground Energy Storage for Renewable Energy Sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 5142
Author(s):  
Javier Menéndez ◽  
Jorge Loredo
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Coal Fuel

The use of fossil fuels (coal, fuel, and natural gas) to generate electricity has been reduced in the European Union during the last few years, involving a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions [...]

The Role of Renewable Energy Sources in a Sustainable World

1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruud Pleune
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
World Energy ◽  
World Concept

Present energy use - largely dependent on fossil fuels - is incompatible with the sustainable world concept. In a sustainable world, energy sources are renewable and used in a way that damage to the environment is minimalized. This study investigates the possibility of a sustainable world using renewable energy sources. It appears that - when strict energy conservation is applied - such a sustainable world seems to be attainable. This requires, however, drastic changes in most parts of society.

scholarly journals The Potential of Using Renewable Energy Sources in Poland Taking into Account the Economic and Ecological Conditions

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7525
Author(s):  
Mariusz Niekurzak
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Technical Specification ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Renewable Sources ◽  
Starting Point

The aim of the manuscript was to present the collective results of research on the profitability of using various renewable sources in Poland with the greatest development potential. In the paper, the economic parameters of various investment projects were determined and calculated, i.e., Net Capital Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and the Period of Return on Invested Capital (PBT). The economic assessment of the use of RES technologies was supplemented with the assessment of environmental benefits. The ecological criterion adopted in the study was the assessment of the potential and costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a result of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy technologies. On the basis of the constructed economic model to assess the profitability of investments, it has been shown that the analyzed projects will start to bring, depending on their type and technical specification, measurable economic benefits in the form of a reduction in the amount of energy purchased on an annual basis and environmental benefits in the form of reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Moreover, the calculations show a high potential for the use of certain renewable sources in Poland, which contributes to the fulfillment of energy and emission obligations towards the EU. The analyzes and research of the Polish energy market with the use of the presented models have shown that the project is fully economically justified and will allow investors to make a rational decision on the appropriate selection of a specific renewable energy source for their investment. The presented economic models to assess the profitability of investments in renewable energy sources can be successfully used in other countries and can also be a starting point for a discussion about the direction of energy development. Due to the lack of collective, original and up-to-date research on the domestic market, the manuscript provides the reader with the necessary knowledge regarding the legitimacy of using renewable energy sources, investment and environmental profitability.

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