UE 05: Hydro and Ocean Power, Biomass

Question 1

What is missing?

Hydro-, ocean-, bio- and geothermal power are “…”. In contrast wind- and solar power are “…”.

Answer 1

“constantly available and therefore controllable/flexible”

“fluctuating”

Question 2

What is missing?

Hydro-, ocean-, bio- and geothermal power are constantly available and therefore controllable. These flexible power plants can contribute to satisfy the “…” using renewable energy.

Answer 2

“residual load”

Question 3

What different types of hydropower plants do you know?

Answer 3

Types of hydropower plants

Run-of-river power plant

• Located in flowing waters
• Run mainly as base-load power plants

Storage power plant

• Located in dammed waters
• Run mainly as peak-load power plants
• Special type: pumped-hydro storage power plants
  –> Located in dammed water bodies, where two water bodies must be available

Question 4

What type of turbine is suitable for each type of hydropower plant?

Answer 4

Run-of-river power plant
- Kaplan turbine
- Francis turbine

Storage power plant
- Francis turbine
- Pelton turbine

Pumped-storage power plant
- Francis turbine
- Pelton turbine

Question 4

What type of ocean power plants do you know?

Answer 4

Tidal power plant

Wave power plant

Osmotic power plant
- Salinity

Marine current power plant

Question 5

True or false?

Wave power plant generate power based solely on kinetic energy of waves.

Answer 5

False!

Wave power plant generate power based on kinetic and/or potential energy of waves.

Question 6

True or false?

Energy from biomass can generally be turned into electricity, heat or power.

Answer 6

True!

Question 7

What procedure do you know that turn biomass into solid, gaseous and/or liquid fuels?

Answer 7

Thermo-chemical conversion
- Pyrolysis
- Gasification/liquification

Physical-chemical conversion
- Pressing/extraction
- Chemical conversion

Bio-chemical conversion
- Anaerobic fermentation
- Alcoholic fermentation

Question 8

Explain the infrastructure necessary to generate and use biogas.

Answer 8

1. Fermenter with biogas storage
   - Input: e.g. energy crops, manure
   - Output: biogas + fermentation residues
   –> Fermentation residues might be used e.g. as fertilizer

(Optional) 2. Secondary fermenter and fermentation residue storage
- Input: fermentation residues of primary fermenter
- Output: biogas + fermentation residues
–> Fermentation residues might be used e.g. as fertilizer

3.1 CHPP
- Input: biogas
- Output: heat into heat grid + electricity into electricity grid

3.2 Gas processing
- Input: biogas
- Output: biomethane into natural gas grid