Power from waste & biomass | AVR-Rozenburg
Making distributed generation future-proof
How Siemens Energy’s steam turbine transformed AVR’s waste-to-energy capabilities , project manager, Siemens Energy, and Arno Rzehorz, sales manager, Siemens Energy
It is simple enough to understand that sustainable energy generation is essential in meeting demand in a growing world, but figuring out how to do it effectively is much more of a complex process. Despite their constantly expanding role in providing power to billions of people, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydro cannot fuel the planet alone.
In truth, sustainable power generation is an intricate web of different sources, some much more in the public eye than others. One method that has a major role to play both today and in the future is waste-to-energy. In particular, using this to bring concepts such as distributed generation to fruition will be integral to powering our towns and cities for many years to come.
Waste-to-energy: a crucial cog in the power generation machine There is a huge amount of value in making use of waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill. Environmental experts are constantly urging us to end the ‘throwaway culture’ that has become firmly established in our lives, in favour of a
circular economy where materials are recovered, reused or repurposed wherever possible. Waste-to-energy is one of the many ways to embrace this philosophy. While techniques such as combustion or gasification produce emissions, it is important to note that much of this is offset by the fact that fossil fuels do not need to be burned as part of the process. Combine this with increasingly efficient filtering and scavenging equipment and power production methods, and the case for waste-to-energy becomes hugely compelling.
A cleaner future with distributed generation
Meeting global demand for energy means using all the avenues available to us, while doing everything in our power to minimise impact on the environment. Conventional power stations such as nuclear, coal and large-scale solar plants are generally centralised and require generated electricity to be transmitted across long distances as part of a large network.
Distributed generation systems, in contrast, are smaller, decentralised and tend to be situated close to the locations that they serve. Because
20 | October 2022|
www.modernpowersystems.com
of this, they often use energy sources that are different from conventional power stations, such as small-scale solar, biomass or waste. In many cases, this provides a number of key
advantages, including the following: ● a cheaper alternative to power from the grid; ● a reduction in overall energy cost, as available
waste heat and steam can be turned into power;
● the option of selling overcapacity to the grid, resulting in efficient operation and minimum waste;
● organisations gain full control of the power supply, delivering greater autonomy and flexibility in power production; and
● adaptability to the power needs of the future, such as the shift to fossil-free fuels. Despite these benefits, there are areas where the various technologies behind distributed generation need to be fine-tuned in order to make it truly future-proof, particularly when it comes to waste-to-energy. A crucial area to focus on is making the waste-to-energy process more efficient than ever before, thereby maximising power output while reducing emissions.
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