DocAir

I came to the belief a couple of years ago that microcogeneration is the future of power production in this country. With the construction of individual systems serving homes and businesses, there is no need for the construction of centralized (and inefficient) power plants.

I found a company in Wisconsin that manufactures a unit called Ecopower. It is a decendant of the natural gas powered air conditioners (Triathlon) in the 1980s.

I have been stumping for EcoPower at trade shows and other speaking opportunities. The syllabus is below.

The challenge is cost. The EcoPower folks believe they can bring the sales price down by 50% with a sufficient increase in volume.



Natural Gas in the Green Economy

Barry C. Westbrook
President, DocAir, LLC

What is the role of natural gas in the green economy?
The "green" movement has typically focused on the production of clean electrical power. How clean is natural gas and where does it fit? Consider these facts:
• The number of natural gas reserves have increased significantly over the past several years.
• Natural gas has an extensive pipeline distribution infrastructure already in place to supply fuel to our homes and businesses.
• Converting from petroleum to natural gas reduces our dependence on foreign suppliers of oil.
It is clear that we need to move toward an integrated gas/electric strategy if we want to maintain our standard of living and create a truly sustainable economy. This seminar will consider the environmental, social, and economic aspects of natural gas with the emphasis on domestic micro cogeneration.
Seminar Outline and Syllabus (90 Minutes)
I. The number of known natural gas reserves has expanded exponentially
o America has enough natural gas reserves to sustain and grow our economy for many decades.
o Technology evolution: solid fuel, liquid fuel, gas fuels
o The future of coal gasification
o Geothermal to gas
I. Extensive distribution infrastructure already is already in place throughout the United States
II. The convergence/integration of gas and electricity in a sustainable economy
III. The limitations of solar power
a. The uncertainty of subsidies
b. The economics are questionable
c. Energy cost of manufacture versus energy generated
II. We can generate electricity on site more efficiently and with 50% of the carbon dioxide creation of central power generation plants using coal.
III. CNG-fueled Automobiles
o Our vehicles can be easily converted to CNG or hybrid CNG/electric
o With a similar level of government subsidy used to promote solar technologies, we can convert our automobiles to compressed natural gas (CNG).
o Provide energy independence from hostile oil producing countries.
IV. The existing gas distribution infrastructure will allow us to gasify and transport other energy resources such as coal, shale, and biomass.
V. The use of natural gas as a fundamental fuel in both winter and summer will smooth out the seasonal price fluctuations and make it a less risky energy option.
VI. Cogeneration deployment avoids the need to build large regional power plants
o Peak demand shaving
o Conservation
o Power Factor Correction
VII. On site, micro-cogeneration allows us to use combustion heat that would otherwise be exhausted to the atmosphere. We can heat our buildings, water, greenhouses, and even power absorption chillers for cooling.
o Micro cogeneration system by Marathon Engine (EcoPower)
o Class demonstration of technology and economics