Aided by cost-share funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass Power Program, External Power of Indianapolis, IN is developing a residential-scale biomass-fueled system for generating home heat and power. The first generation of units will be designed to generate up to 1 kW of electricity, plus heat for water and space heating in single-family dwellings. Later products will have electrical output capacities up to 20 kW for larger residential, commercial, and agricultural operations.

The initial target market for the system is homeowners who burn wood for heat. The initial systems will be fueled by wood pellets or cord wood, and will allow wood burning homeowners to generate electricity and heat with minimal additional effort compared to wood stove or fireplace heating. Later systems will be designed for greater fuel flexibility, allowing use of a wide range of biomass residue materials. The power will be generated using a Stirling engine made by Sunpower, Inc. Stirling engine generators run very efficiently and quietly with all engine parts hermetically sealed for long life. External Power plans to market the technology in North America and Europe through partnerships with Wood-Mizer Products, Inc., a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of portable sawmills, and Energidalen, a biomass energy research center and business developer in Sweden.

Click here for the Executive Summary of the Phase I Feasibility Study for this modular BioPower project.

Phase 2 Activities

External Power will 1) develop and test the performance of a prototype SMB system, 2) complete a detailed business plan, 3) establish strategic partnerships with commercial distribution service entities.

External Power is developing an SMB system that employs a Stirling engine as the prime mover. Heat to drive the Stirling engine is extracted from the combustion gases of a modified pellet stove. This design also recovers significant amounts of heat from the exhaust gases after the Stirling engine and transfers it to the incoming combustion gases to improve the overall combustion efficiencies. Development of very clean biomass burners is another part of this effort. This system is being designed for 1 kW output and targeted at residential markets. External Power is focusing on markets in northern Europe and the Scandinavian countries for initial entry of their SMB. Some preliminary prototype systems have been tested in cooperation with technical personnel from Energidalen. Energidalen is a well recognized biomass research center in Solleftea Sweden and has agreed to be a strategic partner with External Power to help provide credibility for these systems for penetration of the European markets.

External Power, LLC Phase 2 Project