segway inventor dean kamen thinks his new stirling engine will get you off the grid for under $10k - air conditioner purifier

For the new issue of Forbes magazine, I wrote an article about David Crane, NRG Energy's visionary CEO.
When I had lunch with Crane a few weeks ago, as soon as we sat down, he began to praise this new installation in his basement. The machine --
Powered by the natural gas line of the crane, 10 KW continuous power can be generated-
Is a new iteration of the old creation, Stirling engine.
This version, known as lighthouse 10, was created by the famous inventor dean Carmen after ten years of engineering.
I caught up with Kamen (
Who is the most famous to create a Segway scooter)
He was asked by phone last week about the equipment.
"We turned his basement into an extension of our lab," said Carmen . ".
"It's certainly not a machine built for a typical home, but he has a huge pool and a huge house.
"With lighthouse 10, you don't have to feel guilty about heating the pool," says Carmen.
"This is because of the efficient nature of the Stirling engine.
For the first time in 1816, Scottish minister Robert Stirling proposed the simplest form of the device, including the application of an external heat source to a closed cylinder, on a closed cylinder, periodic expansion of the air inside the cylinder and compression drive up and down the piston movement.
Unlike your car, which burns fuel inside the engine, Sterling is an external internal combustion engine;
It can work with any external heat source.
Stirling is quieter and more efficient than the internal combustion engine because the heat is kept inside the engine by doing more work, rather than being allowed to escape to the environment.
Although the mixers are efficient, they are not caught because they take a while to warm up and cannot change the power output quickly.
This makes them not feasible on cars and trucks, but it may be ideal for power generation and hot water.
These machines can not only provide backup generators, but also round generators according to the price of natural gasthe-
Clock power supply for home or business.
Solar panels.
Kamen's contribution is to design his Stirling at the highest price-
Performance material.
He began to assemble key parts of the engine with exotic alloys using skilled welders.
Recently, he figured out how to use 3-D printing.
A key element of Carmen's design, Crane says, is the perfection of a small plastic film that looks like a condom.
The Beacon weighs about 1,500 pounds and is the same size as a washing machine, and also includes a battery system that can be integrated with other distributed power generation systems such as solar panels.
So, what is Carmen's vision for the future of these things?
The one in the crane basement is too big for ordinary American families, generating 10 KW continuous power, while most of us consume only about 2 KW.
"I like bulldozers, but I'm not going to put one in my garage . "
Kamen believes that in addition to the mansion owners, Beacon 10 is ideal for businesses such as laundries or restaurants that use a lot of hot water.
So far, he has deployed about 20 machines with commercial partner NRG Energy.
Kamen is expected to be put into production within 18 months.
"In two years, my expectations will be high --
The final builder to install them.
"But the 10kw model is just the beginning.
Soon Kamen will have a smaller version ready to be commercialized.
He's been running for two.
He has a 5kw lighthouse at his home in New Hampshire for 4 years.
Why not provide a small version first? "A 2-
Chance to do one-
The fifth power, but not just one.
"The fifth is money," said Carmen.
That's why he and NRG will rely on high
Early adopters of technology like Tesla owners bought the first batch of products. As for cost?
Kamen believes that the 10 kw version can be manufactured and installed for about $10,000 or $1 per watt.
This does not, however, include development costs, overhead costs, or profit margins.
Crane's NRG will determine the charging standard for these Beacon machines.
A large part of NRG's plan is not to sell them at all, but to lease them.
Leasing equipment to homeowners and businesses with NRG and solar-
SolarCity has applied for installation procedures from solar panels.
Homeowners lease them for about 20 years and agree to pay NRG for every kilowatt hour they generate from their own roof.
If the panel produces excess juice, then NRG can make money selling juice on the grid.
The idea is to try the same thing with a beacon machine.
Once the adoption rate is high enough, NRG will be able to connect dozens of devices in one region.
Depending on the price of natural gas and the level of demand for electricity, sometimes NRG sends signals to all beacon machines in the area to lift to full output and send excess power to the grid.
"We don't think we should sell just one box," said Carmen . ".
"We think we should be part of the future system that will power the development of the micro-grid.
"Kamen certainly did not start making products for the United States.
"I am passionate about helping the developing world," he said . " He originally intended to study the Stirling engine to help bring power to the dark corner of the world for the first time.
The beauty of Stirling is that it can run out of any heat source.
"We used cow feces in Bangladesh and even powered them by burning olive oil," Kamen said . ".
Frankly, he was surprised that the United States became a potential market.
"It took 100 to build the grid.
"Its core is the most critical infrastructure in the country," he said . ".
However, "I don't know that the grid will become more vulnerable and people will feel nervous about the hurricane.
I do not know that the price of natural gas will drop sharply.
The price of these devices should fall in time, he said.
The adoption rate should be similar to other household appliances that used to look fancy but are now second nature, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters and central heating.
The lighthouse could eventually replace two of them. -
Stove and water heater--says Kamen.
Will everyone have one in 10 years? "I'd say yes.
Ten years later, the possibility that you rely on the wires that hang on the branches is as high as the possibility that you will still install the land lines for the phone. Close to zero.