Hi Doug >Anyone have a clue on what these cost? Nothing on thier web site!
Kirk checked it out a while back, and said this: >I went to the stirling site, an NZ company. Their engine is being >sold as a sailboat electrical generator for big bucks (Holland) >but the co. doesn't deal with individuals. :-( This was posted to the GAS (Gasification) list: >If you go to > >www.victronenergie.com > >you will find a 103 page pdf article "Electricity on Board" >explaining how the WhisperGen Stirling gen-set offers a neat >solution to providing power on board a yacht. > >Some of this is very relevant to off grid power applications - well >worth a read. > >With Striling technoplogy - there is no need to cool or scrub the >wood gas, and so efficiency is maintained at a higher percentage >level. > >Remember -- a Stirling is not a fussy eater - unlike some IC engines ;-) I hope that link still works. Also this below. Best Keith >Japanese Companies Enter Market for Home Cogeneration > >TOKYO, Japan, JP, 2001-12-13 [SolarAccess.com] The popularity of >co-generation systems is increasing in Japan, with different types of >home based Micro Combined Heat & Power (MCHP) systems being sold or >expected on the market soon. > >"There is strong demand for saving energy, and we believe there is >high potential for cogeneration to spread into households," says >Yoshitaka Kayahara of residential cogen development with Osaka Gas. >"Considering the need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide >emissions to prevent the greenhouse effect from escalating, there is >a necessity to introduce cogeneration." > >In October, the company began testing the market for home-use >cogeneration systems by adopting Honda Motor's 1 kW gas engine. The >system can provide most of the heat, as well as 40 percent of total >electricity needed by an average household. > >The system can save 30,000 to 40,000 yen a year in lighting and >heating costs. After testing the new system at 100 homes, the company >will sell the compact generator for 700,000 yen. > >IBF of Tokyo, has introduced a residential cogeneration system that >uses a Stirling engine, operating on external combustion which runs >pistons powered by contained, heated gas. The Stirling engine is >manufactured by Whisper Tech of New Zealand, and provides an >advantage over internal-combustion engines because it can use any >type of fuel to heat the gas in the cylinder, even sunlight. > >"Because it can use anything as the fuel to run the system, we think >Stirling engine cogeneration has huge potential," say officials. The >system, which can generate 0.75 kW, went on sale this year for 3.5 >million yen and IBF has sold 14 units to homes and dormitories in ten >months. > >The WhisperGen system has been sized to meet the heating requirements >of a typical home in western Europe, and to match the electrical >generation with the home's requirements, to keep power available for >export to the grid to a minimum level. > >If the utility refuses to accept the distributed generation for any >reason, or will not pay an acceptable price, the unit can be used in >the home for heating water via an immersion heater. Currently, the AC >WhisperGen is designed to continually monitor for the presence of the >grid. If the grid drops out of certain ranges in voltage or >frequency, the system automatically shuts down to ensure that it does >not export into a failed grid. > >Most Japanese companies developing home-use cogen systems are >focusing on natural gas fuel cells. Home appliance makers, including >Matsushita, Toshiba, Sanyo and Toyota, are developing fuel-cell cogen >systems for residential applications, and many expect to have 1 kW >systems by 2004 or 2005. > >Osaka Gas is developing a fuel-cell cogen system, and Kayahara says >gas cogen systems provide more heat than electricity, while fuel-cell >cogen systems provide the opposite; more electricity than heat. > >"We believe that there will be demands for both gas and fuel-cell >engines, because the use of energy will vary depending on customers' >lifestyles, as well as where they live," he says. Osaka Gas aims to >release its residential fuel-cell cogen system in 2005, at a price of >600,000 yen. > >The companies are trying to reduce initial costs of systems but they >share a belief that, once residential cogeneration systems become >accepted, mass production will allow costs to drop. > >(Nov reports) >-----Original Message----- >From: Keith Addison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 6:12 AM >To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com >Subject: [biofuel] Re: Solar powered air conditioning & Stirling Motors > > >http://www.whispergen.com/ > >The revolutionary WhisperGen Personal Power Station >is a micro combined heat/power generator >based on an external combustion (Stirling) engine. >It is the result of 8 years of design and development work by Whisper >Tech Ltd.. >Quiet clean burning and extremely efficient,. >the WhisperGen is able to use a multitude of liquid or gaseous fuels >and will change the way in which electricity is produced >and distributed throughout the world. > > > >Mark > > > >Check out this link they have 5hp stirling motors, I personally > >don't know a thing about Stirling motors but all the hubub about > >stirling motors sparked my interest. I ran across this link from > >someones post in here. They are in Japan and I could not find a > >price anywhere on the web site. Hope this is of help to ya. > > > > http://www.stirling-tech.com/index.htm > > > >--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, Mark Foltarz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hey, > > > > > > I am just waiting to see any "real" stirling motors that can do > >any > > > appreciable amount of work and are available for purchase. Little > >kits that > > > power fans from hot cups of coffee are great for the Captain > >Kangaroo bunch. > > > But are there any real motors on the order of 5 bhp that arer > >available for > > > purchase? > > > > > > Sun Power in Athens, Oh ( > > http://sunpower.com/enthusiast/index.html) is > > > supposed be to be some kind of Sterling mecca, but they are > >probably so tired > > > of being inundated with basement tinkerers like myself, that they > >don't want to > > > share much information. Also I believe their specialty now is > >the "CryoCooler" > > > - a novel artifact of the sterling motor - it becomes a > >refrigirator if you run > > > power in to it. Reverse the power input and the same end turns > >very hot. So the > > > stirling motor can function as a heat pump. Todd have you ever > >chatted with > > > those folks there at SunPower? > > > > > > There is a group on Yahoo called SESUSA ( http://www.sesusa.org) . > >Good info > > > there but I have not seen any "real" workable engines that would > >be considered > > > a powerplant that is available to a regular joe. Still pretty > >exotic yet. > > > > > > Yours, > > > > > > Mark Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/