THE PRODUCTS: AgriPower has developed a series of “Biomass-fueled” (as described below), low operating cost, modular, mobile and transportable, environmentally-friendly, safe and reliable electric generation systems (the “Systems”). The Systems provide a great deal of flexibility regarding the materials they can use for fuel and can utilize wood, sawdust, cardboard, paper and most agricultural by-products and animal wastes (“Biomass”) and many types of plastic as fuel to generate electricity and clean hot air suitable for “Co-Generation” (as described below). The Systems are highly efficient; each five BTUs of fuel yields approximately one BTU of electricity and more than three BTUs of valuable “Co-Generation” that can be used for heating buildings, making hot water, air conditioning and refrigeration and for drying applications (a total of more than four BTUs or more than 80% efficiency). The Systems’ ability to use virtually free or low cost Biomass and plastic waste as fuel makes them an attractive method of power and heat production for enterprises that produce or have access to this waste material (and thereby avoid paying expensive tipping fees and disposal taxes to have their waste brought to a landfill), to reduce the need to purchase natural gas or propane to produce heat and hot water or to replace expensive to operate diesel generators. The Systems are available with power outputs from 200kW to 750kW and from 2MMBTU/hr up to 65MMBTU/hr of heat output.
PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN: The Systems use a unique and proprietary clean air, high temperature technology, space age metals and ceramics and a robust and proprietary PC-based software operating system. The Systems use low air pressure and are non-condensing (i.e., they do not use water or steam in their operation). There is no comparable Biomass fueled, modular, mobile and transportable technology on the market today. Other Biomass systems use steam (which need ultra-clean water to operate) or gasifiers (that use “dirty” air that coats the turbine blades with contaminants) and thereby increase maintenance costs and down-time to drive their turbines. By contrast, AgriPower’s “clean, hot air” technology contains no contaminants that can coat its turbine blades; hence, a highly-reliable, relatively maintenance-free power generation system. The System’s unique modular and mobile design enables it to be brought to where the fuel source is located rather than having to transport the fuel to a centrally located furnace thereby saving vehicle transport and manpower expenses and eliminating the carbon footprint.
THE FUEL AND OPERATION: Biomass and plastic fuel is fed into the combustion chamber by a series of automated screw augers from a large fuel hopper. Its PC-based software system (using various embedded monitoring devices that take multiple readings every second) controls it and regulates its fuel intake, furnace temperature and inlet air temperature to the gas turbine and waste heat generator. The System’s high-temperature technology and extended fuel dwell time design provide a clean burn and minimize ash which is automatically and safely removed from the System.
SUMMARY OF BENEFITS
The Systems provide numerous significant benefits:
VIRTUALLY FREE / LOW COST FUELVIRTUALLY FREE / LOW COST FUEL: Instead of using diesel fuel oil that is expensive and difficult to obtain, transport and store, and dirty to burn, the Systems combust most types of Biomass and many types of plastic waste. One of its best fuels is the leftover residue of whatever crops are being grown locally. This provides an abundant, renewable, carbon neutral and virtually free or low cost fuel source. One of its best fuels is the leftover residue of whatever crops are being grown locally. This provides an abundant, renewable, carbon neutral and virtually free or low cost fuel source.
SIGNIFICANT FUEL COST SAVINGS: Using Biomass and plastic waste as fuel represents a dramatic fuel cost saving versus diesel fuel oil. Fuel savings or reduced electric and gas purchases from the local power company from using the System usually provide a financial payback period of about three years (before tax benefits). Fuel savings are estimated to be $10 - $15 million or more over its useful life of 20+ years compared to the fuel costs of a comparably sized diesel generator set or from avoided tipping fees and disposal taxes by using virtually free or low cost Biomass and plastic waste as fuel in the Systems.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: The Systems are virtually pollution free. Certain types of contaminated materials (such as wood waste containing paint and creosote) can be used for fuel by adding an inexpensive mini-scrubber that captures the contaminants during the combustion process and enables their proper disposal. Because of their design and size, the Systems are frequently exempt from local permitting requirements.
MOBILITY; REDUCED FUEL TRANSPORT COSTS; RAPID ASSEMBLY; SIZE AND WEIGHT: The Systems are prefabricated, modular, mounted on trailers and shipped pre-assembled and pre-tested in or as standard 20’ or 40’ shipping containers making them highly mobile and easily and inexpensively transportable to even the most remote areas (including disaster sites) or to where the fuel is located (thereby reducing or eliminating fuel transport costs). They are skid mounted and contain bolted fittings for rapid assembly and can be installed on-site and producing electricity only one to two days after delivery. When installed, each System measures about 8’ wide by 40’ long by 12’ high and weighs about 80,000 pounds (40 tons).
CO-GENERATION OR ADDITIONAL POWER: The Systems produce a considerable amount of clean hot air perfectly suited for Co-Generation and that provides an additional and free energy source. The Co-Generation can be used to operate distillation, desalinization and water purification equipment; ice machines, refrigeration and air conditioning units; to produce heat for buildings; hot water for laundries, kitchens, room showers and baths and heated swimming pools; and for industrial heating, bonding and drying processes, such as drying paint and wood prior to shipment or drying extremely wet Biomass prior to its being used as fuel. Alternatively, the hot air can be used to generate an additional 125kW to 250kW of electricity.
EASE OF USE; REMOTE MONITORING; DIGITAL PROOF: The Systems have been designed to be easily and safely used by unskilled and inexpensive labor and are extremely user-friendly. The proprietary, fully-automated control system, with its fully-developed PC-based software program, and embedded sensors installed throughout the System, constantly monitors key control parameters (i.e., fuel feed and speed, load requirements, fan speeds, oxygen levels, etc.) resulting in a fully automated power plant thus eliminating the need for an expensive on-site engineer or technician. The System can be remotely monitored via telephone, the Internet or satellite by the customer or AgriPower to confirm it is being properly operated and digital proof can be obtained and used for carbon credit billing and payment purposes.
PROVEN AND RELIABLE TECHNOLOGIES; LOW OPERATING COSTS: The Systems use proven combustion and gas turbine technologies that have been widely used for power and aircraft propulsion and for combusting a wide variety of fuels for more than 40 years. The reliability of these proven technologies translates into extremely low operating and maintenance costs and reduced downtime.
PROPRIETARY AND UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES CONSIDERABLE BENEFITS: The Systems’ proprietary clean, hot air technology separates the fuel combustion products from the gas turbine cycle thereby reducing turbine wear and downtime and maintenance and operating costs. AgriPower’s unique and proprietary air-to-air technology accommodates a wide variety of fuels and provides lower emissions than comparable furnace technologies.
HIGH EFFICIENCY: The System’s use of proprietary technology and space age metals and ceramics enables it to be highly efficient. Its high operating temperatures and long fuel dwell time enable it to completely combust the fuel and produce high output for its size and weight; for each five BTUs of fuel it consumes, it produces approximately one BTU of electricity and more than three BTUs of Co-Generation (a total of more than four BTUs, or more than 80% efficiency). Ash residue is minimal: between 1% and 3% depending on the type of fuel used.
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE CHANNELS: The System’s proprietary technology has few moving parts and uses standard off the shelf components (several readily available fans and blowers) that can be inventoried on-site and easily repaired or replaced by AgriPower’s extensive network of authorized sales and service representatives, distributors, dealers, strategic partners and repair technicians. This network provides AgriPower’s customers with an immediate, virtually worldwide sales, installation, maintenance, repair, and service capability.
AGRIPOWER’S BIOMASS-FUELED SYSTEMS PROVIDE A CLEAN AND RELIABLE SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY, THERMAL ENERGY AND CO-GENERATION AT A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SAVINGS FROM AVOIDED TIPPING FEES AND DISPOSAL TAXES AND AVOIDED ELECTRICITY AND NATURAL GAS OR PROPANE PURCHASES OVER ITS 20+-YEAR USEFUL LIFE. COMPARED TO A COMPARABLY SIZED DIESEL GENERATOR SET, SAVINGS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AT LEAST $10 - $15 MILLION FROM AVOIDED FUEL COSTS. ANNUAL CARBON CREDITS MAY ALSO BE AVAILABLE.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
AgriPower, Inc.
Barry J. Berman, Chief Executive Officer
46 Deepdale Drive, Great Neck, New York 11021 USA
Tel: (516) 829-2000 • Mob: (516) 384-2100 • Fax: (516) 487-3163
E-Mail: bberman@agripower.com
Web Site: www.agripower.com
