Outside the box

By Keith Heyde

Today, here at EnergyGridIQ, we decided to touch on a couple of new and innovative technologies that are pushing the edge, or thinking differently, when it comes to energy.

Our first technology is non-thermal plasma gasifiers. These systems work by subjecting a biomass feedstock (old corn husks, algae, etc.) to a plasma field. For those of you without a physics background, plasma is essentially and electronically charged gas. This plasma then “burns” (only in the metaphoric sense) the feedstock and turns it into useful products. In the case of non-thermal plasma gasifiers, the advantage is that the “burning” can happen at much lower temperatures (700-800 Celsius) than if the plasma was heat dependent. The non-thermal plasma gasifier creates hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The H2 is an excellent and clean energy source and can be used in fuel cells and other energy processes. You can check out a NT plasma gasifier at http://w2energy.com/technology/non-thermal-plasmatron/. And as usual, take a look at EnergyGridIQ’s project database page for examples of gasifier projects in your area.

The second technology ‘du jour’ is the innovation happening at Rentricity, NYC. This cutting edge company is taking the water pressure trapped in the piping system and converting it to energy. How does this work? Well, everyday a countless amount of energy is spent pumping water around New York. However, most of the ‘energy’ is from the pressure gradient the water is subjected to. For most water applications, this pressure gradient is more than enough, and so in order to make the pressure on your shower heads or faucets feel comfortable, there must be a pressure release. Rentricity realized that this release can be used for electricity generation. Check their system out at http://www.rentricity.com/about_overview.html. EnergyGridIQ will issue a follow up on the rentricity system in the near future for those of you interested in learning a bit more.

Finally, although it is not directly related to energy efficiency, a company out of California, BluHomes deserves a spot on our ‘thinking outside the box’ platform for their revamp in the green design industry. Due to their personal customization platform, bluhomes is allowing green homes to be built very easily, and at a price that is affordable. BluHomes incorporates passive energy saving techniques into their design from natural air flow ventilation to exterior shadow structures. This makes a home that is not only attractive in style, but efficient in energy draw. Take a look at them at http://www.bluhomes.com/.

This week, we hope to go further in depth with some of these innovative thinkers and get you a one-on-one on what they are doing. Check back at www.energygridiq.com to stay in the loop.