| Peer-Reviewed

Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy

Received: 5 April 2023     Accepted: 30 May 2023     Published: 9 June 2023
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Renewable and clean energy sources are the only way for humanity to live harmoniously on planet Earth. How to achieve this goal? Solar and wind energy are produced only when the sun and wind are present. The percentage of hydropower is quite small. Therefore, compensating sources of energy are needed at night and in winter. Today, these are coal and gas-fired power plants. The goal of the Fast grow Energy Forest project is to grow and harvest wood (biomass) as a source of replacing fossil coal and gas for power plants and boilers. Ten-year research by scientists together with producers demonstrates the effectiveness of growing fast-growing trees, which are technologically cut with harvesters for biomass every 3 years. This project has great economic, environmental and energy prospects and needs immediate support from financial institutions, scientists and the government. This is a real ecologically clean bioaccumulator of solar energy. After the complete cutting of plants, willow plantations, the shoots grow again and after three years the upper part of the tree is completely restored. That is, when cutting Fast grow Energy Forest for wood, we do not destroy it, but restore it. Is this project environmentally friendly? After all, we burn sawn wood and pollute the air with CO2? Yes, this project is ecological and works with "zero" use of CO2 and even additionally cleans the air. In Figure 1 of CO2 absorption, we see the complete cycle of carbon movement. Every three years, the plantation absorbs about 200 tons of CO2 from the air. During combustion, 70% of CO2, 140 tons, is released into the air, and 60 tons, which is 30%, remains in the roots. This process is repeated every 3 years and involves 8 or more biomass harvests. Europe's potential of 117 million hectares of marginal land (land unsuitable for agriculture) and 5.5 million kilometers of roads is also the potential for FgEF creation. In conversion, this amounts to 82.6 billion m3 of gas equivalent. We are also reducing CO2 emissions by 3.17 billion tons.

Published in American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 12, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13
Page(s) 78-84
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Hydrogen, Fast Growing Energy Forest, Biomass, Carbon Emissions, Green Certificates

References
[1] Dr. Ajay Mathur, Dr. Yogi Goswami. Sunny solutions: Tapping the source of unlimited opportunities. Solar compass. 2023. Vol. 5, P 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solcom.2023.100038
[2] Lijun Zhou, Jinhao Xie, Diyu Xu, Yanxia Yu, Xingyuan Gao, Xihong Lu, Recent advances and challenges of anodes for aqueous alkaline batteries. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enchem.2023.100102
[3] Stathopoulos T., Alrawashdeh H., Urban wind energy: Some views on potential and challenges. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics. 2018. Vol. 179. P 146-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2018.05.018
[4] Helena M. Ramos, New design solutions for low-power energy production in water pipe systems. Water Science and Engineering. 2009. Vol. 2. Iss. 4. P 69-84. https://doi.org/10.3882/j.issn.1674-2370.2009.04.007
[5] Valizadeh S, Hakimian H, Farooq A, Byong-Hun Jeon. Valorization of biomass through gasification for green hydrogen generation: A comprehensive review. Bioresource Technology. 2022. Vol. 365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128143
[6] Reuben Joseph Soja, Muhammad Bello Gusau, Usman Ismaila, Nuraddeen Nasiru Garba. Comparative analysis of associated cost of nuclear hydrogen production using IAEA hydrogen cost estimation program. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.03.133
[7] Simon Schunz. The ‘European Green Deal’ – a paradigm shift? Transformations in the European Union’s sustainability meta-discourse. ECPR. 2022. Vol. 4. 23 p. https://doi.org/10.1080/2474736X.2022.2085121
[8] Sleight, N. J., Volk, T. A., Eisenbies, M., Belowground Biomass and Root: Shoot Ratios of Three Willow Cultivars at Two Sites. Forests. 2023, 14 (3), art. no. 525, 18 p. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030525
[9] Beena Patel, Akash Patel, Bakhtiyar Alam Syed, Bharat Gami, Pankaj Patel. Assessing economic feasibility of bio-energy feedstock cultivation on marginal lands. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2021. Vol. 154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2021.106273
[10] Larsen S., Uffe Jorgensen U., Larke P., Biomass yield, nutrient concentration and nutrient uptake by SRC willow cultivars grown on different sites in Denmark. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2018. Vol. 116. P 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2018.06.011
[11] Rose-Marie Rytter. The potential of willow and poplar plantations as carbon sinks in Sweden. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2012. Vol. 36. P 86-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.10.012
[12] Hokul K., Governor Hochul Announces New York State Awarded $60 Million in Federal Funds to Advance Smart Climate Practices for New York Farms and Forests. WE ARE NY. 2022. 5 p.
[13] Govinda R. Timilsina, Carbon Taxes. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE. 2022. Vol. 60. No. 4. P 1456-1502. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0961-9534(99)00085-9
[14] María Erans, Eloy S. Sanz-Pérez, Dawid P. Hanak, Zeynep Clulow, David M. Reiner, Greg A. Mutch. Direct air capture: process technology, techno-economic and socio-political challenges. Energy & Environmental Science. 2022. Iss. 4. P 1360-1405. DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EE03523A.
[15] Garcia-Freites S., Gough C., Roder M., The greenhouse gas removal potential of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to support the UK's net-zero emission target. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2021. Vol. 151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2021.106164
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Melezhyk Leonid. (2023). Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 12(3), 78-84. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Melezhyk Leonid. Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2023, 12(3), 78-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Melezhyk Leonid. Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy. Am J Environ Prot. 2023;12(3):78-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13,
      author = {Melezhyk Leonid},
      title = {Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
      volume = {12},
      number = {3},
      pages = {78-84},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20231203.13},
      abstract = {Renewable and clean energy sources are the only way for humanity to live harmoniously on planet Earth. How to achieve this goal? Solar and wind energy are produced only when the sun and wind are present. The percentage of hydropower is quite small. Therefore, compensating sources of energy are needed at night and in winter. Today, these are coal and gas-fired power plants. The goal of the Fast grow Energy Forest project is to grow and harvest wood (biomass) as a source of replacing fossil coal and gas for power plants and boilers. Ten-year research by scientists together with producers demonstrates the effectiveness of growing fast-growing trees, which are technologically cut with harvesters for biomass every 3 years. This project has great economic, environmental and energy prospects and needs immediate support from financial institutions, scientists and the government. This is a real ecologically clean bioaccumulator of solar energy. After the complete cutting of plants, willow plantations, the shoots grow again and after three years the upper part of the tree is completely restored. That is, when cutting Fast grow Energy Forest for wood, we do not destroy it, but restore it. Is this project environmentally friendly? After all, we burn sawn wood and pollute the air with CO2? Yes, this project is ecological and works with "zero" use of CO2 and even additionally cleans the air. In Figure 1 of CO2 absorption, we see the complete cycle of carbon movement. Every three years, the plantation absorbs about 200 tons of CO2 from the air. During combustion, 70% of CO2, 140 tons, is released into the air, and 60 tons, which is 30%, remains in the roots. This process is repeated every 3 years and involves 8 or more biomass harvests. Europe's potential of 117 million hectares of marginal land (land unsuitable for agriculture) and 5.5 million kilometers of roads is also the potential for FgEF creation. In conversion, this amounts to 82.6 billion m3 of gas equivalent. We are also reducing CO2 emissions by 3.17 billion tons.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Fast Growing Energy Forest - Is "The Fifth Element" That Humanity Lacks for a 100% Changing to Clean Renewable Energy
    AU  - Melezhyk Leonid
    Y1  - 2023/06/09
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13
    T2  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JF  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    SP  - 78
    EP  - 84
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5699
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20231203.13
    AB  - Renewable and clean energy sources are the only way for humanity to live harmoniously on planet Earth. How to achieve this goal? Solar and wind energy are produced only when the sun and wind are present. The percentage of hydropower is quite small. Therefore, compensating sources of energy are needed at night and in winter. Today, these are coal and gas-fired power plants. The goal of the Fast grow Energy Forest project is to grow and harvest wood (biomass) as a source of replacing fossil coal and gas for power plants and boilers. Ten-year research by scientists together with producers demonstrates the effectiveness of growing fast-growing trees, which are technologically cut with harvesters for biomass every 3 years. This project has great economic, environmental and energy prospects and needs immediate support from financial institutions, scientists and the government. This is a real ecologically clean bioaccumulator of solar energy. After the complete cutting of plants, willow plantations, the shoots grow again and after three years the upper part of the tree is completely restored. That is, when cutting Fast grow Energy Forest for wood, we do not destroy it, but restore it. Is this project environmentally friendly? After all, we burn sawn wood and pollute the air with CO2? Yes, this project is ecological and works with "zero" use of CO2 and even additionally cleans the air. In Figure 1 of CO2 absorption, we see the complete cycle of carbon movement. Every three years, the plantation absorbs about 200 tons of CO2 from the air. During combustion, 70% of CO2, 140 tons, is released into the air, and 60 tons, which is 30%, remains in the roots. This process is repeated every 3 years and involves 8 or more biomass harvests. Europe's potential of 117 million hectares of marginal land (land unsuitable for agriculture) and 5.5 million kilometers of roads is also the potential for FgEF creation. In conversion, this amounts to 82.6 billion m3 of gas equivalent. We are also reducing CO2 emissions by 3.17 billion tons.
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of “Forest Restoration and Meliorations”, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine

  • Sections