Waste-to-energy has not always been in the spotlight in the world of energy. Let me rephrase that: waste-to-energy (WTE) is not something that American’s like.
Although in Europe, there has been a growing movement towards waste-to-energy plants, whether it is trash incinerators, biological digesters, or wastewater head capture systems. Across the pond, there are all types of WTE developments that are sparking not only more efficient economy, but also new ways of looking at engineering in general.
By showing that objects formerly discarded without hesitation, such as agricultural runoff or for that matter sewage, can be used to create valuable resources, such as energy, WTE sets up an entirely new paradigm of what it means to be ‘resourceful’.
Denmark, as a country, has been at the forefront of WTE technology for some time now. The amount of trash reclamation facilities continue to grow as more and more public investment (and private success) dominates the marketplace. Due to a mixture of economic tools such as subsidizing the price of WTE kWh produced as well as providing discounted loans for WTE development, Denmark has taken a commanding lead within the marketplace.
But wait, don’t we do the same in the U.S.?
Indeed, we do provide very similar economic incentives and financing options. However, in the U.S., there is a general lack of goodwill and public sentiment around WTE. From a consumer, they still (when surveyed) consider energy produced from WTE to be, somehow, dirty. Even though an electron is an electron, many homeowners still feel as though WTE produced energy could lead to potential health risks for them. It is as if the public sentiment around WTE is that you are literally pumping trash back into your house.
As we know, this is not the case.
However, some argue that the hesitancy to adopt WTE processes is a result of the inherent lack of sustainability. Not only do WTE require trash (or some form of waste) to operate by definition, but many would argue that by its very nature, this system incentivizes wasteful habits. Perhaps there is some truth here. However, I would retort by questioning whether the 5 cent return on recyclables in many states incentivizes recycling OR consumption. There are always secondary nuances to subsidies.
On the technological front, there have been some major advancement within WTE over the past few years. Oregon State University is the site of some of the most recent (and impressive) advancements. These systems are known as microbial fuel cells and they metabolize common sewage into energy. The advancements have come in the sheer efficiency of the system, attained by combining special charged sheets with conventional microbe reactors. To read more check out here: http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2012/aug/major-advance-made-generating-electricity-wastewater
And as always for all your energy thoughts and news check in to www.energygridiq.com today.
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