Biomass for Electricity
Made by: Eli, Teyla, Dalton and Trevor
What is it?
Biomass is basically in simple terms burning once living things to make energy. It started in 1987 discovered by scientists in the U.S. It is very organic and it saves money and gets rid of waste. It produces heat for houses but on the down side it is not healthy for the environment. Sorry Earth.
Sources for biomass
Any waste that was once living is considered biomass
Biomass in the U.S
These are locations in the where biomass plants are located
Biomass in NC
These locations in the North Carolina have biomass plants
Costs and Concerns
It can be installed outside at your house but to be installed in general it would cost $3,000- $4,000 per kilowatt (For a small plant). You earn 8- 15 cents per kilowatt hour. Although the government can save $34 million per year if installing this for every house. It would cause a lot of air pollution in the U.S and burning the waste releases chemicals that could be harmful and get you very sick. It is carbon neutral which means it adds carbon dioxide and releases it.
How it works?
Biomass is stored in a big unit and then gets put onto a conveyor belt in small portions. Then it is burned and releases heat and boils water. The steam from the water is pushed through a turbine and turns it. The turbine then powers a generator that produces electricity.
What is Biomass?
New Types
Some farmers plant crops specifically to burn them and create biomass. If a building falls down people might take the remains of the building and take it to a biomass plant. The waste from slaughterhouses is a big help for bio fuel and helps create biomass. One of the main sources is manure from pig and cow farms. They produce a lot of manure which is great fuel.