Maxine Fay Miller
Energy Production from Waste
03 Feb 2009
According to experts from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, by 2020 the UK’s waste could be used to provide fuel to supply one fifth of the nation’s energy needs.
Instead of recycling waste our waste can be used to produce energy to meet our electricity needs. In other European countries food and other waste products are burnt in a combustion plant to produce energy. These wastes can also be used to produces bio-fuels from composting or chemical processes. There are only about 50 plants in the UK at the moment.
Producing electricity from waste is a crucial way to provide energy in Our Future Planet. Waste is renewable and together with other renewable energy technologies including solar and wind power Our Future Planet will be able to meet some 15 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.
Sainsbury's, a leading supermarket plans to recycle all food waste into energy by the end of the summer 2009. Sainsbury’s will turn approximately 17,000 tonnes of waste each year into bio-fuel and renewable energy that will generate 8,500 mega watt hours of electricity. This is enough electricity to power a small village of 12,000 houses for a year.
Let’s hope these innovative energy production technologies will encourage all supermarkets to divert food waste from landfill and use it to create energy.
Comments
Comment 3
So why aren't we doing this?
Written by Dave Gunstone on 17 Aug 2009, at 15:40 Report this comment
Comment 2
This method could be used to generate electricity in the world's most polluted cities for providing electricity for residential areas.
Written by Navneet Jha on 03 Jun 2011, at 05:33 Report this comment
Comment 1
I am also Student of MS energy.I like your poposal
Written by Sheeraz Iqbal on 27 Oct 2011, at 11:05 Report this comment
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