[Gasification] Charcoal Gasifier No 2.

[Harmon Seaver]

Kevin Chisholm wrote:
> Dear Harmon
> 
> Harmon Seaver wrote:
> 
> ...del...
>>    I'd think it would a lot more practical to turn the gas into
>> electricity, and feed it to the grid, assuming that net metering will
>> become universal. And I'm sure it will once the energy crunch progresses
>> a bit more.
> 
> "Feeding it to the grid" is seldom practical for smaller scale 
> installations.

   That sure flies in the face of the thousands of people who are doing
it as we speak. Probably more like hundreds of thousands at this point.
People do it even with just a few solar panels and make it pay.

> For one thing, small scale 
> charring/gasification/pyrolysis systems/engine systems/generators/grid 
> ties and synchronization systems are very expensive per unit of 
> capacity.

    ???? So we should all just forget about our small scale gasifiers?
Where are all these "very expensive" coming from. Certainly not a small
gasifier -- dirt cheap built of junk usually. Nor the engine -- usually
from a junk vehicle, maybe even free, certainly not in the slightest
expensive. And the grid interties are also pretty cheap at this point.
Synchronization is a non-issue. If fact you can build your own
interties, and if you are using an induction motor as the generator, it
synchronizes itself automatically.

> For another, small scale power is very costly to produce per 
> kw-hr. For still another reason, the Utilities pay very little for the 
> power.

    Actually they pay quite well for the power. Whatever the retail rate
they charge their customers is what they have to pay you for whatever
you produce. As long as it's from a renewable fuel. At least that's the
way it is in most states in the US where they have net metering laws.
States have different caps on how much you can produce and get the
retail rate -- in WI here is was 20KWH 24/7 but is changing to 40KWH
soon, if it hasn't already. In MN it is 40, and I think it's 100KWH in
Calif.
     And as energy costs rise, I'm quite sure we'll see the same net
metering laws everywhere.


-- 
Harmon Seaver