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The Recovered Energy System™EXTRACTING ENERGY FROM WASTE WITHOUT COMBUSTION
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DISCUSSION ONGREEN ELECTRICITY
The supply of adequate electricity to its community and to its industries is a major challenge for most communities throughout the world. The demand for electricity continues to grow but the supply is not as easily expanded. As a society we pay a significant environmental price for the production of electricity from most conventional sources of power. Hydropower is the most economical form of power but our rivers can only hold so many dams. Hydropower is severely impacted by the amount of rainfall. Nuclear power plants are environmentally not safe because of the potential impact of a failure. In addition, disposing of spent fuel has become a crisis in many countries. Traditional coal plants are the cause of "acid rain" and are primary contributors to the greenhouse effect. The newer version coal gasification plants, called IGCC plants, have fewer emissions than traditional coal plants' and have a higher efficiency, but they still contribute heavily to the greenhouse effect. Natural gas plants have become quite popular for demand power because they are easy to startup and shut down. They are fairly clean but they contribute to the greenhouse effect and natural gas has a limited supply. Solar power and wind power are not practical in most areas and have a limited capacity based on current technology. Fuel cells represent a significant potential, however, they are still in the development stage.
Green electricity is defined as power produced from renewable resources. Renewable resources include wind, solar, hydro and waste. REI believes that municipal waste and other forms of waste represent a valuable resource and source of green electricity that should be exploited. Energy produced from waste has the following advantages over any other form of renewable energy.
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