"IMM" wrote in message
...
One thing
I don't quite understand about that
thing though is whether it'd
actually get much use in a modern
highly insulated house :-)
The unit actually has a burner playing on the Stirling, which has a free
wheeling piston with no crank, being the only moving part. The gasses
pass
through a heat exchanger, Another supplementary burner is used to boost to
hot water output.
On existing poorly insulated homes the Stirling boiler is feasible. Any
excess electricity produced passes to the grid via a two-way meter.
More info....
British Gas to launch individual CHP boiler for homes
British Gas has announced that it is developing a household boiler that
generates both heat and electricity, which will increase energy efficiency
and cut costs for customers, allowing them to sell excess electricity back
to the Grid.
The new combined heat and power (CHP) boilers, developed by MicroGen Energy,
a subsidiary of BG Group plc, will result in increased energy efficiency,
says the company. Normally, only 37% of electricity that is generated at a
power station and transferred to customers via the grid is used. However,
the new boilers will have an efficiency of around 90% or more, cutting
fossil fuel use and reducing the need for gas imports, a British Gas
spokesperson told edie. One million of the boilers would be the equivalent
to Sizewell B.
The system uses a Stirling engine, invented by the Reverend Robert Sterling
in 1816. The pistons are the only moving parts of the engine, which uses gas
bearings to minimise wear. The engine is a sealed unit with no requirement
for regular servicing or maintenance, says MicroGen. The Stirling engine
generates both heat and electricity and additional heat needs are met by a
supplementary burner.
The boilers will produce a baseload of 1.1kW, which is sufficient to run
most domestic appliances during the day, and any excess is then sold back to
the Grid. At times of peak electricity use, the household will have to buy
extra electricity, and will receive a net electricity bill at the end of the
quarter.
It is also estimated that they will reduce an average household electricity
bill by around 25%, and will cut a home’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by
about 1.5 tonnes and nitrous oxides emissions by an average of 40%.
“This could herald the biggest change in British homes since the
introduction of gas central heating in the 1960s and 70s,” said John Shears,
Commercial Director of British Gas. According to Steven Evans, Chief
Executive Officer of MicrGen, the prospect of the new technology is already
arousing a great deal of interest in the market.
An added benefit, says British Gas, will be for homeowners subject to power
cuts, as they will guarantee continued heat and electricity.
The CHP boilers are currently undergoing tests by British Gas, and the first
boilers will be available commercially by late 2004/early 2005, said the
British Gas spokesperson.
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