Introduction

The purpose of this site is to promote the use distributed power generation in Broome County using small engines fitted with heat exchangers to capture exhaust heat for use in space heating.  The engines can be fueled by natural gas, propane, gasoline or gasified biomass, also called producer gas (see the link below).

The chief advantage of this approach is efficiency.  Modern power plants are generally around 35% efficient. i.e. 35% of the energy consumed is converted into electricity (and 10-15 % of that is lost in transmission).  By generating power where it is used and capturing the "waste" heat, system efficiencies improve substantially.

This is old  technology and is also referred to as Combined Heat and Power (CHP). It is an established industry for larger installations but not much exists for residential applications. To my knowledge there is no complete system also incorporating a biomass gasifier. 

Here is everything you ever wanted to know about small biomass gasifiers

Handbook of Biomass Downdraft Gasifier Engine Systems  - 10 meg pdf file

I think a biomass fired CHP system that provides 100% of a homes power and heat could be put together for far less than a wind or solar system that only provides electricity.  Of course the devil is in the details and that is the purpose of DPower, to keep track of and fully document the design and development of the system in an open and transparent manner. If a prototype can be made and proven to be reliable, safe and easy to use then maybe we could form a consumers co-op and contract out the manufacture and maintenance (locally of course).  More

Right now this is just an idea and I need help.  I've put together DPower.org to help organize this project and like any project it needs Time and/or Money and/or Manpower.  So if you would like to be involved in any way go ahead and fill out the contact form.  Some of the features/applications available with an account on DPower.org are groupware with project management, task lists, time trackers, ticket trackers, email, bulletin board system, wiki, content management, web based file sharing (Webdav) A multi-user double entry accounting system , and a full featured e-commerce system, to name a few. More

Many skills are needed, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, CAD/CAM, sensors and instrumentation, power electronics, masonry, welding and steel fabrication, accounting legal etc etc. Obviously no one wants to work for free and I certainly don't have the capital to bankroll this, however I think the constuction of a successful prototype will lead to a LOT of work.

There is a lot of math and science going on with this system and from time to time various measurments and calculations will have to be made. So if you teach math, chemistry, thermodynamics or electro-magnetism... there will be a wealth of teaching moments available. e.g. using published heat transfer qualities of pex tubing determine the optimum size tank to maintain a certain temperature at a particular flow rate.

Lastly, I'm charging suggesting a donation of $24.00/year for accounts on DPower.org. This will let you interact with others from the area on a common goal. If you are a Machine shop or potential installer etc. you will have a state of the art web based platform to collaborate with the project and it's future customers. If you're a homeowner who really wants a bio-mass fired micro CHP plant installed next to your house for a reasonable price then your $24.00 will help make it a reality.  DPower.org is essentially a corporate information system that eliminates a lot of overhead and expenses normally associated with a start-up enterprise. Also the payment itself lets me verify identity because I want the system to be about real people doing real work. The public side of Dpower.org will publish news and important milestones based on consensus.  - More