I ran across this nifty item in my local paper, the Daily Camera here in Boulder:
Boulder's Cool Energy raises $1 million
Business incubator Idealab was among the investors who provided $1 million in funding to Boulder-based Cool Energy Inc., a manufacturer of low-temperature Stirling engines that convert solar thermal energy and waste heat into electricity, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings made public Friday. ...continue reading
From the Cool Energy company website:
Imagine a home energy system that uses only the free fuel from the sun to generate heat and electrical power, day and night, all year long through the use of Cool Energy’s novel heat engine technology combined with simple solar thermal collectors, thermal storage and smart control. Each SolarFlow System home or building installation emits zero pollution and therefore offsets approximately 6 tons of carbon dioxide pollution per year. Economics for the SolarFlow System are most favorable in colder climates such as the northern U.S., Canada and Europe.
Combined Heat & Power System:It appears that this new company out of Boulder has a "ton of interest" including a project with Excel Energy in which they are doing a Stirling engine pilot and field test using a solar heating and power system in a Boulder building.
- Reduces Energy Bill by up to 75%
- Faster Payback than Solar PV
- Built-in Energy Storage
According to the company website, SolarFlow® System in an average size US home provides up to: 80% of heat, 100% of hot water and 60% of electricity at the lowest cost of energy (heat and electricity) of any renewable energy system.
There are also projects underway in developing nations utilizing this company's technology. (Read more at the company website.)
KM