NON

CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY SOURCES

Document By
SANTOSH BHARADWAJ REDDY
Email: help@matlabcodes.com
Engineeringpapers.blogspot.com
More Papers and Presentations available on above site

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Abstract
  What is non-conventional energy?
 Types of non-conventional energy sources
 Why is non-conventional energy important today
 Biomass for production of energy
 What is biomass?
 Biomass energy conversion process
 Process of getting Electricity from Biomass
 Distributed generation
 Cogeneration
 Cogeneration from Biomass
 Limitations for the production of energy from Biomass
 Conclusion

“ ENERGY IS ALL AROUND US ”

ABSTRACT:
Renewable Energy sources are consider to be of great utilization only when,
“Electricity is Theoretically possible, Technically Feasible,
Economically Viable”

Electricity is no more a luxury but a necessity. Due to limitations in resources

availability, serious harmful emissions, cost consideration, and problems of fossil fuels are the
major causes to increase the utilization of non – conventional, renewable and eco friendly energy
sources to meet this ever-increasing demand in large quantum. Renewable energy sources
contribute approximately 25% of human energy use worldwide. The prime source of renewable
energy is solar radiation, i.e. sunlight. The Earth-Atmosphere system supports approximately 5.4
x 1024 joules per year in the solar radiation cycle.

Mankind’s traditional uses of wind, water, and solar power are widespread in developed
and developing countries; but the mass production of electricity using renewable energy sources

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has become popular only recently, reflecting the major threats of climate change due to
pollution, concerns about the exhaustion of fossil fuels, and the environmental, social and
political risks of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Many countries and organizations promote
renewable energies through taxes and subsidies.
Lot of waste is produced in our daily life. This waste, which creates pollution, can be
used in generating energy. This waste is nothing other than BIOMASS, which is a NON
CONVENTIONAL ENERGY from which we can generate electricity and other useful products.
The term biomass includes all organic materials like wood, grass, plants, agro wastes, municipal
wastes etc. The estimated production of agro wastes in India is 200 million tones per year. The
total production of biomass is about 1200 million tonnes. The waste obtained from the
BIOMASS plant can be utilized for producing LIQUID BIOFUEL and BIOGAS by deareated
digestion of bacteria.
This paper deals with the biomass production, generating power from the BIOMASS
and distribution of this energy and co-generation.

WHAT IS NON CONVENTIONAL ENERGY?

Non conventional energy is energy which can be replenished at the same rate it is used.
Renewable energy sources contribute approximately 25% of human energy use worldwide. The
prime source of renewable energy is solar radiation, i.e. sunlight. The Earth-Atmosphere system
supports approximately 5.4 x 1024 joules per year in the solar radiation cycle.The mass
production of electricity using renewable energy sources has become popular only recently,
reflecting the major threats of climate change due to pollution, concerns about the exhaustion of
fossil fuels, and the environmental, social and political risks of fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Many countries and organizations promote renewable energies through taxes and subsidies.

TYPES OF NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

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Solar energy Hydel energy Biomass energy Hydrogen energy

Geothermal energy Tidal energy Wind energy

WHY IS NONCONVENTIONAL ENERGY IMPORTANT TODAY?

 Energy price stability

 Clean air and pollution free
 Protecting global climates
 Unlimited supplies
 Jobs and economy
 Longevity
 Reliability
 Proximity to demand for electricity

BIO-MASS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY

Lot of waste is produced in our daily life. This waste, which creates pollution, can be used in
generating energy. This waste is nothing other than BIOMASS from which we can generate
energy.

WHAT IS BIOMASS?
Biomass, in the energy production industry, refers to living and recently living biological
material which can be used as fuel or for industrial production.The term biomass includes all
organic materials like wood, grass, plants, agro wastes, municipal wastes etc. Biomass is grown
from several plants, including switchgrass, hemp, corn, willow and sugarcane.

Biomass is part of the carbon cycle. Carbon from the atmosphere is converted into biological
matter by photosynthesis. On decay or combustion the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.
This happens over a relatively short timescale and plant matter used as a fuel can be constantly
replaced by planting for new growth. Therefore a reasonably stable level of atmospheric carbon
results from its use as a fuel.
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Although fossil fuels have their origin in ancient biomass, they are not considered biomass by
the generally accepted definition because they contain carbon that has been ‘out’ of the carbon
cycle for a very long time. Their combustion therefore disturbs the carbon dioxide content in the
atmosphere.

Wood waste in generation M achinery used in BIOMASS power plant

BIOMASS ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESS:

1. Gasification: It is a thermo chemical process of obtaining energy from solid matter in a
gaseous form. In principle, the process is a thermal decomposition of organic matter in
the presence of limited supply of air or oxygen to produce combustible gases.
2. Pyrolysis: The process of pyrolysis refers to combustion in a deficient supply of air or
oxygen. The process gives out CO and methane, which are condensed to give tar and
methanol.
3. Direct combustion: Themal decomposition of organic matter is carried out in the
presence of excess air, liberating heat and leaving behind incombustible ash. Direct
combustion of biomass is an important route for generation of grid quality power by
efficient use of agro waste, solid waste and forest residues.
PROCESS OF GETTING ELECTRICITY FROM BIOMASS:
The biomass fuel, air from air preheater, water from water from water preheater is given
to boiler. The combustion process takes place in the boiler and steam is generated. This steam
goes to turbine and expands in the turbine and produces mechanical power. This mechanical
power is converted in to electricity by using turbo alternators.
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 The Steam –Rankine cycle involved heating pressurized water, with the resulting steam
expanding to drive a turbine-generator and then condensing back to water for partial or full
recycling to the boiler. A heat exchanger is used in some cases to recover heat from flue gases to
preheat combustion air and a deaerator must be used to remove dissolved oxygen from water
before it enters the boiler.
Steam turbines are designed as either “back pressure” or “condensing” turbine.
In back pressure turbines the steam expands to a pressure that is still substantially above ambient
pressure. It leaves the turbine still as a vapour and is sent to satisfy industrial heating needs,
where it condensed back to water. It is partially or fully returned to the boiler.
DISTRIBUTED GENERATION:
Increased demands on the nation’s electrical power systems and incidences of electricity
shortages, power quality problems, rolling blackouts, and electricity price spikes have caused
many utility customers to seek other sources of high-quality, reliable electricity. Distributed
Energy Resources (DER), small-scale power generation sources located close to where
electricity is used (e.g., a home or business), provide an alternative to or an enhancement of the
traditional electric power grid.
DER is a faster, less expensive option to the construction of large, central power plants and high-
voltage transmission lines. They offer consumers the potential for lower cost, higher service
reliability, high power quality, increased energy efficiency, and energy independence. The use of
renewable distributed energy generation technologies and “green power” such as wind,
photovoltaic, geothermal, biomass, or hydroelectric power can also provide a significant
environmental benefit
Distributed energy resources are electric generation units(range from 3KW to 50MW)
located with in the electric distribution system or near the end user.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DER:
2. PREMIUM POWER: Reduced frequency variations, surges, voltage transients or other
disruptions.
2. BACK UP POWER: Used in the event of outage, as a back up to the electricity grid.
2. PEAK SHARING: The use of DER during times when electric use and demand charges
are high.
2. LOW-COST ENERGY: The use of DER as base load or primary power that is less
expensive.

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 2. COGENERATION: Increase the efficiency of on-site power generation by using waste
heat for existing thermal process.
ECONOMICS OF DER:
2. Enables cost savings by reducing the peak demand at a facility, therefore lowering the
demand charges.
2. Provides greater predictability of energy costs with non-conventional energy systems.

CO – GENERATION OF ENERGY:

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COGENERATION:
Industries in which both heat and electricity are needed are well suited for cogeneration of
electricity. A significant potential for cogeneration of electricity is sugar industry.
The production of electricity along with co products such as fuels, chemicals and heat is more
economical.
COGENERATION FROM BIOMASS:
In the process of getting electricity from biomass we get some fuels sucethanol, methanol,
Biodeisel, Fisher-tropic diesel, gaseous fuels. Biomass gives heat, solid, liquid and gaseous fuels
along with electricity. The waste obtained from the BIOMASS power plant can be used in
obtaining other useful products such as BIOGAS and LIQUID BIOFUEL.

Solid biomass can also be gasified, and used as Biogas. Biogas can easily be
produced from current waste streams, such as: paper production, sugar production, sewage,
animal waste and so forth. These various waste streams have to be slurried together and allowed
to naturally ferment, producing methane gas. This can be done by converting current sewage
plants into biogas plants. When a biogas plant has extracted all the methane it can, the remains
are sometimes better suitable as fertilizer than the original biomass.

Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass, including living organisms or their
metabolic byproducts, such as cow manure. Biomass can be used directly as fuel or to produce
liquid biofuel. Liquid biofuel is usually bioalcohol such as ethanol and biodiesel and virgin
vegetable oils. The ethanol obtained from biomass is used as fuel for surface transportation. This
fuel reduces the harmful green house gases emissions in to the atmosphere. The use of biodiesel
reduces emission of carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbons by 20 to 40 percent. In some areas
corn, cornstalks, sugarbeets, sugar cane, and switchgrasses are grown specifically to produce
ethanol (also known as alcohol) a liquid which can be used in internal combustion engines and
fuel cells. Ethanol is being phased into the current energy infrastructure.
LIMITATIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY FROM BIOMASS:
As there are advantages there are disadvantages for the production of enrgy from non
conventional energy sources especially BIOMASS.
 A drawback is that all biomass needs to go through some of these steps: it needs to be
grown, collected, dried, fermented and burned. All of these steps require resources and an
infrastructure.

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  While most non conventional energy sources do not produce pollution directly, the
materials, industrial processes, and construction equipment used to create them may
generate waste and pollution.
 Some of the inputs required to produce non conventional energy, such as the crops
grown to create ethanol or biodiesel fuels, may be grown using fuel and fertilizers
derived from non-renewable energy sources.
 Many renewable energy sources, particularly biomass and biofuels, is the large amount of
land required to harvest energy, which otherwise could be used for other purposes from
non-renewable energy sources.
 Biomass has high moisture content and low calorific value.

CONCLUSION:

The word "grid" is used to describe the system of wires and pipelines that carry energy, in the form
of electricity or natural gas, to our homes and businesses. People are interested in using less energy
from the grid for many reasons. One is that producing this energy often creates very large
environmental problems--such as air pollution, global climate change, massive flooding in river
systems, and others. Another reason is that the distribution system itself, with its tens of thousands
of kilometres of wire and pipe, is costly to build and maintain and has its own environmental
problems. Yet another is the expense to consumers: energy prices and utility bills are a frustrating
part of owning or renting a home.
Going "off-grid" means having no connection to the network of overhead power lines or
gas pipelines. It means supplying your own power. Even if home or building owners never go
fully off-grid, non conventional energy can enable them to reduce their consumption of natural
resources such as coal and natural gas and become less dependent on the grid. Imagine owning
your own power supply, such as solar panels on your roof. No more power bills to pay and no
pollution !Hence the joined hands of renewable energy sources wind, sun, biomass, hydrogen,
water, wave and geothermal are greatly meeting the today’s part of energy requirements

REFERENCES:
 Electrical India –2002 to 2006 issues

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  Non-Conventional Energy Sources –G.D RAI
 Encyclopedia of Energy - McGraw-Hill
 www.re-energy.ca
 www.eere.energy.gov
 www.renewables.ca

Document By
SANTOSH BHARADWAJ REDDY
Email: help@matlabcodes.com
Engineeringpapers.blogspot.com
More Papers and Presentations available on above site

10