Are you aware of the so - called " Waste To Energy ? concept in generating and sourcing Power ?

Question

Just curious about what I have heard.

Answer 1

Yes, it's been around for years.  Essentially, you burn garbage as fuel and use the heat to produce steam and generate electricity.  The primary problems are:

1) Cost, while the trash is free, collecting it and getting it to the incenerator costs money, also the equipment to burn it is expensive to build

2) Environmental impact, many of the constituents in the trash produce toxic compounds such as dioxins when burned.  There is some question if these can be sufficiently removed from the flue gas.  Even if they can, the removal technology will not be cheap (see 1).

Answer 2

Sure--though I'm not sure why you refer to it as "so-called."  There are a number of companies that are profitably generating power--either heat or electricity--by burning combustible waste.  Not, in my opinion, a really major sorce of energy--or in the long run a good ida (burning anything produces CO2).  But as a source of energy, it's viable--and commercially feasible.