Golf-powered SchwarmStrom
p2pnet news view | Cool:- Hamburg-based renewable energy group Lichtblick and Volkswagen have teamed up to push the concept of ‘SchwarmStrom’ (swarm power) to, “allow Germany to abandon nuclear and coal power stations sooner and help compensate for the volatility of renewables like wind and solar power”.
In the coming year they’ll install in people’s basements 100,000 gas-powered engines, similar to those in VW Golf cars, which will collectively produced some 2,000 megawatts of electricity, continues Agence France-Press.
Lichtblick and Volkswagen, “say the plants would produce not only heating and hot water but also electricity, with any excess power fed into the local grid,”" it says.
Called EcoBlue CHP, “The home power plants together form a huge, invisible power station that doesn’t make the countryside ugly or require additional infrastructure,” says a statement from the companies.
House owners would pay around $7,250 to have the generators set up, along with an appropriate heating system, says AFP, adding, “individuals would then pay a lower price for heating and receive a modest ‘rent’ for hosting the generator, as well as a bonus at the end of the year calculated on electricity revenues that resulted from Lichtblick’s sales.”
LichtBlick says the natural-gas-fired plants,. called ZuhauseKraftwerke (home power plants), reduce CO2 emissions by up to 60 percent, “compared with conventional heat and power generation,” according to Green Car Congress.
“In the future, LichtBlick plans to operate the plants on biogas, a renewable energy source with no impact on the climate,” it says.
Agence France-Press – Home power plants project unveiled in Germany, September 9, 2009
Green Car Congress – Volkswagen and LichtBlick Partner on Home Combined Heat and Power Systems, September 9, 2009
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September 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
A generator in every garage…
September 10th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Any step which decentralizes the power grid is usually a safe one. If one power plant powers a whole city, and terrorists sabotage the plant, the whole city goes without power. But terrorists would have a hard time sabotaging thousands of home power factories.
As far as environmentalism goes, I know natural gas ain’t perfect, but it’s better than coal and oil in terms of emissions. But let’s not forget that natural gas generators aren’t the only way people can self power their homes. I know a couple people with solar panels on their house, after all.
Anyone can complain about global warming, but letter writing will get you no where. If you have the know how, take clean energy into your own hands and power your own house!
September 10th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
This is an interesting idea, as stated it does make the power grid more stable (Tree on the lines? No problem, there’s plants on both sides!), and it would reduce the need for high-capacity lines from centralized plants to the smaller consumers of electricity. However, it does then make the gas lines a more likable target, as one hit to those will knock out all the power to a huge area, not just a single centralized plant of several.
However, with Solar power plus batteries and minimal fueled generators, you could probably get a relatively robust system that’s environmentally friendly.
September 11th, 2009 at 8:57 am
All sounds great, but what are you doing? You’re putting power and control into the hands of consumers/customers. I’d like to see how power generation corporations handle this one, especially in the US where control is more important than anything, including human life!
September 29th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I totally agree with Robert. The people with all the money hold the power, and they don’t generally care about technological advancements unless they grow their power. There are better ways to generate clean energy, using less resources, and spending less money doing it.
Besides “normal”, what is with this blind fear in “terrorists” anyway? Don’t people realize that they are being lead by trigger words and fear campaigns? Wake up already…
October 28th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
But … it’ll still run on oil!?!