African Climes

Settle down please! Now where were we? Yes… Biofuels Fuels derived from remains of recently dead organisms or waste of a biological nature. a )       Wood fuel Self-explanatory – burning of charcoal or firewood for energy. Used a lot in Africa. Briquettes however are a better alternative to charcoal as their usage significantly reduces deforestation and is also better for human health. b)       Energy can also be derived from conversion of biomass from agricultural plants . What I mean is that it is possible to produce substances like bioethanol from sugarcane. Bioethanol is alcohol from plants. Bioethanol can be used to make ethanol & used to fuel vehicles. However it is mostly used as an additive in conventional fuel. Brazil is the largest producer of bioethanol. c)       Biogas basically means methane produced from the anaerobic decomposition ofanimal waste. This methane can be used...

Morning class ! I hope you rested your minds during that brief break and that you are now ready for more knowledge. This is going to be a double lesson so I want you to prepare yourselves. There’ll be a 10 minute water break to have a short walk and get some refreshments. Are you ready? Let’s start. Now, as we all know, energy is the driver of economic growth. Energy comes from fuels. For a country to develop, it must be energy secure. The IEA (International Energy Agency) defines it as having a sufficient amount of energy to be able to satisfy the energy needs of its population at a reasonable price. Long term energy security means that you plan ahead to take into account economic development and also being environmental friendly. Short term energy security means that there’s enough supply to cater for sudden spikes in energy demand. Energy efficiency means that one can use the same amount of energy to do more or use a lesser amount of energy to achieve the sam...