Using Bio-Energy and Solar Energy in the Manufacturing Industry

In a time of rising energy prices and an impending exhaustion of our fossil fuel resources, renewable energy sources have become more necessary than ever before. Manufacturing industries are one of the largest consumers of fossil fuel in the country.

Renewable sources of energy like bio-energy and solar energy are often overlooked for use in these industries because their potential for generating high temperatures is still not well-documented. However, inroads into using renewable sources of energy in the manufacturing industry have to be made for a more sustainable future. The key is to integrate the use of renewable energy into those manufacturing industries that don’t require high temperatures for their processes.

How can renewable energy be used in the manufacturing industry?

Both bio-energy and solar energy have the potential to fuel large-scale manufacturing industries like paper, food, and dairy products. Here’s how they could work:

Bio-energy: Bio-energy is a good source of green energy where there is access to large amounts of biomass. Biomass can be obtained from agricultural and forestry processes. Crop residue is a good source of biomass. Dry biomass in which the moisture has been evaporated has a higher energy output than regular biomass. Biomass that has been left to overwinter has a lower content of ash, making it more environmental-friendly to use.

The energy output of dry biomass is 17-19MJ/Kg. Burning of biomass can be used to fuel industrial processes that don’t require temperatures higher than 482°F.

Solar energy: In places that experience high sunshine for even part of the year, solar energy should be considered for industrial processes. Solar energy can be used to generate electricity which can power the machinery used in the manufacture of food products, textiles, chemical products, and so on. Solar energy can also be used in space heating and to power lighting in an industrial setup. Supplementing electricity consumption with solar energy does not only lower the electricity bill but also the carbon footprint of the factory.

Fossil fuel is expensive and damaging to the environment. To reduce our dependency on fossil fuel, especially in the manufacturing industry, more renewable sources of energy have to be considered as alternatives. Bio-energy and solar energy have been found to be good substitutes for fossil fuel in those industries that don’t require high temperatures for their processes. Food and dairy, pulp and paper, textiles and other non-metal industries can all benefit from using bio and solar energy.