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Phase: Research Missions: Surprise Us

Create a fuel stream FOR renewables in our communities

Biomass/biogas powered engines are one of the best ways to make constant, good quality renewable energy, even at night. the problem is that they need a consistent fuel supply. Enter the food waste problem. If we had 3 garbage cans...one for recyclables, one for food waste, and one for other, we could divert organic materials to a digester for gas production. This gas could then power an engine and make baseload power.

Photo of Will Rice
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Combined Heat and Power from biogas is the ONLY way to make efficienct, baseload power, around the clock right now.  Grid scale storage is not even close to being feasible enough to make solar an adequate replacement for coal or natural gas.  CHP and biogas are the only option.  

To make biogas you need organic waste and digesters.  Luckily, humans make tons of organic waste everyday through the process of eating.  We just need to take the baby step to create a consistent supply of that food waste for use by a CHP power plant.  Create a fuel steam and renewables can be implemented.  This is the BIGGEST hurdle for modern non-solar, non-wind "renewable" adoption.

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Photo of Jonathan Watson

Have you tried to sell this system to communities? How about the 'self sufficient' off the grid groups? What is the picture of? A fully functioning prototype? How much?

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Photo of Will Rice

Its a picture of a Combined Heat and Power Generator in a container. It needs a gas stream. Cost is something like $2-3 million per Megawatt.

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