How can I save money with Gasification?
Everyone likes to save money right? From shopping a sale at the local mall to large scale multi-million dollar businesses like Starbucks, Tyson, and more, we all like to get the most value for our money. Renewable energy solutions still have a bit of stigma as being inconvenient, costly and inefficient. However, this is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Technological advances and commercial acceptance of renewable energy as a viable solution has sent being green to the forefront. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions reported that renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source in the United States, increasing 100 percent from 2000 to 2018.
Types of Renewable Energy Available
The options in the renewable technology field are growing. Some of the common options include:
- Solar Power- Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics, indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination.
- Hydropower- Hydropower or water power is power derived from the energy of falling or fast-running water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes.
- Anaerobic Digestion- Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. Also known as methane digesters, anaerobic digestion systems, and biodigesters.
- Geothermal Energy- Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter.
- Wind Energy- Wind power or wind energy is the use of wind to provide the mechanical power through wind turbines to turn electric generators and traditionally to do other work, like milling or pumping.
- Gasification
Most of these may seem familiar to you but one that is not as well known, but a very effective renewable energy form, is gasification.
What is gasification?
Gasification is an interesting concept. Part of the benefit is its independence and self-sufficiency. It does not depend on the wind, currents, or daily forecast. It is an independent process, reliant only on one thing… your waste.
It is the process of turning anything organic, aka anything with carbon in it, into a gas form. The gas is known as Syngas if oxygen has been used in the process and Producer Gas if air has been used. This gas is very flexible. The more well known uses of the gas are 1) to power an internal combustion engine to create electricity and 2) to power a boiler, creating hot water and heating. Both are universal needs across any industry. Find out more about gasification.
So what does this mean?
This means you can take any waste stream that is free of inorganic elements like metals, ceramics and glass and convert them into heat and electricity! So if you are Manufacturer with food byproducts, a sawmill with wood chips and/or sawdust, an army base with general daily waste, a farmer with farm animal waste, gasification could be making you money instead of your waste costing you money.
How can gasification save me money?
Gasification can save you money two ways: 1) by creating on site waste management and 2) by helping create energy independence. Being able to process your waste at your plant, farm, resort, hospital, etc cuts out costs left and right. You no longer have to pay services to haul away the waste. You no longer have to pay tipping fees at the landfill. And on top of this, you no longer have to worry about what you will do with this waste once the landfills are full.
Add in the benefit of powering and heating your business with the waste that was once a cost and you are suddenly in the black. Gasification systems can feed the producer gas directly into existing boiler systems, creating heat and hot water. At the same time, it can power an internal combustion engine and help power your premises. Both of these also cutting utilities way down, which can be a game changer in most industries.
