14 DAY TRIAL // With environmentalists going on and on about how human society must soon stop burning dirty fuels for energy, it's no wonder that researchers are doing their best to come up with viable alternatives to the oil and coal many would like to soon be phased out.
Apparently, specialists in Germany are looking into the possibility of using straws to heat, maybe even power homes.
According to Oil Price, they say that, if used correctly, the straws resulting from the country's yearly cereal production have the potential to meet the energy demands of as many as 2.8 million average homes, and the heating needs of 4.5 million households.
As explained on the official website for the Center for Environmental Research – UFZ, “From a total of 30 million tons of cereal straw produced annually in Germany, between 8 and 13 million tons of it could be used sustainably for energy or fuel production.”
Furthermore, “These results highlight the potential contribution of straw to renewable sources of energy.”
Preliminary investigations show that, when used correctly and not just set on fire as one sees fit, biomass such as straws can produce about 73-92% less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels do.
Therefore, one can only hope that the German researchers will soon make some progress in their work to turn straws into a reliable energy source.