Renewable sources, conversion

In the United States about 3 percent of all electricity produced comes from renewable sources of this a little more than half comes from biomass. Most biomass energy generation comes from the lumber and paper industries from their conversion of mill residues to in-house energy. Municipal solid waste also is an important fuel for electricity production approximately 16 percent ot all municipal solid waste is disposed of by combustion. Converting industrial and municipal waste into bioenergy also decreases the necessity for landfdl space. 

Methanol and ethanol are alcohol fuels that can be produced from various renewable sources. Alcohol fuels are converted from biomass or other feedstocks using one or several conversion techniques. Both government and private research programs are finding more effective, less costly methods of converting biomass to alcohol fuels. Methanol was originally a by-product of charcoal production, but today it is primarily produced from natural gas and can also be made from biomass and coal. 

Hydrogen may be the only link between physical energy from renewable sources and chemical energy. It is also the ideal fuel for modem clean energy conversion devices like fuel cells or even hydrogen engines. 

Fachhochschule Stralsund established in the 1990s a multi-component laboratory for integrated energy systems that included a variety of energy-conversion devices that can convert renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar energy, to thermal or electrical energy. 

Therefore, the ecological and environmental effects of switching the base of chemicals to renewable sources will be diminished as long as fuels are produced from crude oil. Conversely, the relatively low amount of crude oil needed for the chemical industry will be accessible for a rather long period of time at moderate expenditures and exploitation cost. 

Electrolyzers typically operate from grid-quality power, so a new variety of power control and conditioning equipment needs to be developed in order for electrolyzers to operate efficiently from renewable sources. The prospect exists for good efficiency in converting renewable power to hydrogen, insofar as electrolyzers require direct current and renewables generate direct current, so there are no losses associated with ac/dc conversion. 

One biomass conversion unit transforms wood chips into a methane rich gas that can be used in place of natural gas. Another biomass plant in Maine burns peat to produce power. In addition to trees, some smaller plants, like the creosote bush, which grow in poor soil under dry conditions, can be used as sources of biomass, the biological materials that can be used as fuel. These renewable sources of energy can be grown on otherwise unproductive land. 

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