Free energy

close
more_vert

I guess if you put a turbine or solar array in your backyard, you can use the electricity to electrolise water to power a car, but every amp joule and calorie you use to do this is one less available for other uses.

I know I'm being flippant about the methane thing, but to me there seems to be much more point to it. We already have processes that imitate the intestine on a larger scale. Basically a big tank full of bacteria and enzymes and what-have-you that turns biomass into methane. Since that waste would biodegrade into methane anyway, it does seem to offer a chance of reducing greenhouse emissions as well as providing energy.

We use methane from landfill to produce energy already. I'm not sure why there isn't greater focus on developing it as an energy source. Obviously energy is released through combustion so it's not without its problems, but much cleaner than coal. I'd guess as clean as any natural gas power station.

Similarly enegy from waste (where they just burn rubbish) gets a similar lack of press.

They lack the appeal of full-on renewables because they're connected to smelly decaying & unpleasant rubbish. Which is a shame. I'm sure there's merit in both, particularly if they could be developed as CHP schemes.