Coffee Power - a storm in a teacup?
95 million cups of coffee are drank in the UK everyday which per capita puts us at 45th in the world for most coffee consumed. At ENSEK we probably consume half of that as our devs put a serious shift in daily powered by their love of java (the drink not script) but could coffee power us in other ways?
Coffee grounds have gained massive popularity in recent years as we have discovered that they are an incredibly efficient, zero-emission fuel source. 200,000 tonnes of coffee grounds are produced annually in London alone. Coffee logs are just the beginning though as companies are currently undertaking research into turning coffee grounds (which have a high oil content) into biodiesel, biochemicals and also as a renewable energy source on a larger scale. In the near future biopellets (coffee fuel logs) could be used to heat buildings and water on a much larger scale than someone's log burner at home (a good start).
Another example of coffee being used for power is at the source itself, the coffee farmers, by using microbes to eat the waste from coffee production they can generate enough power to be converted to electricity allowing for the remote areas that coffee is grown (high altitude mountainous regions) to be supplied with electricity and reduce waste at the same time.
The next step for coffee will be to reduce the amount of single use cups that are bought in coffee shops, 17 millions daily, and completely close the circle on coffee to create an efficient, emission free future for caffeine.
