Biomass
1) Is the energy source classified as non renewable, renewable, or inexhaustible? Biomass is classified as renewable.
2) How is the energy source made usable? Biomass is turned into "bio power" in many ways, you can have bacteria digest it, "cook" it by using "gasification", turning it into liquid, or the most popular way of burning the biomass to make steam. 3) What are the infrastructure requirements for utilizing this energy source? You would need some kind of boiler or gassifier to create the steam, then a pipe leading to a steam turbine, which would turn the energy of the steam into usable electricity. 4) What emerging technologies will make this energy source safer, more usable, more efficient, and/or cleaner? New ways to turn biomass into energy have caused biomass energy a more efficient and cleaner source, and gassification has made biomass the ability to be converted into liquid biofeuls like biodiesel, which can be used to power vehicles, and could replace gasoline. |
Gassifier
Steam Turbine
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Sources
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia "Biomass Energy"
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy "How Biomass Energy Works"
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy "How Biomass Energy Works"