Currently, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas represent the prime energy sources in the world. However, it is anticipated that these sources of energy will deplete within the next 40 - 50 years. Moreover, ...Currently, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas represent the prime energy sources in the world. However, it is anticipated that these sources of energy will deplete within the next 40 - 50 years. Moreover, the expected environmental damages such as the global warming, acid rain and urban smog due to the production of emissions from these sources have tempted the world to try to reduce carbon emissions by 80% and shift towards utilizing a variety of renewable energy resources (RES) which are less environmentally harmful such as solar, wind, biomass, etc. in a sustainable way. Biomass is one of the earliest sources of energy with very specific properties. In this review, we present the different cogeneration systems to provide electrical power and heating for isolated communities. It has been found that the steam turbine process is the most relevant for biomass cogeneration plants for its high efficiency and technological maturity. The future of CHP plants depends upon the development of the markets for fossil fuels and on policy decisions regarding the biomass market.展开更多
文摘Currently, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas represent the prime energy sources in the world. However, it is anticipated that these sources of energy will deplete within the next 40 - 50 years. Moreover, the expected environmental damages such as the global warming, acid rain and urban smog due to the production of emissions from these sources have tempted the world to try to reduce carbon emissions by 80% and shift towards utilizing a variety of renewable energy resources (RES) which are less environmentally harmful such as solar, wind, biomass, etc. in a sustainable way. Biomass is one of the earliest sources of energy with very specific properties. In this review, we present the different cogeneration systems to provide electrical power and heating for isolated communities. It has been found that the steam turbine process is the most relevant for biomass cogeneration plants for its high efficiency and technological maturity. The future of CHP plants depends upon the development of the markets for fossil fuels and on policy decisions regarding the biomass market.
