Company exploring micro CHP steam engine technology

July 2, 2014, Norway — A cheaper and cleaner energy source
is something every homeowner and business owner desires, and Norwegian startup
GasDecEngine Technology AS (GDE) has developed a product to meet the demand.
GDE’s micro-combined heat and power (micro CHP) steam engines provide efficient
energy on location with fewer emissions. GDE has launched a crowdfunding
campaign to raise $150,000 by August 3 to combine with a $180,000 government
grant to build a market prototype.

The revolutionary design of the micro CHP will allow small
businesses and homes to lower their energy costs, as well as their emissions
and even enable them to generate a profit from the energy they produce. “We
will serve an international market with our two design patents,” said CEO and
Cofounder Heiko Beilfuss. “Micro CHPs are perfect substitutes for the millions
of boilers Europe replaces each year.”

Rather than piping energy through electrical grids, which
lose energy during transference, micro CHPs are placed on location and both
create energy and capture their own exhaust to use as a heat source. “Our
generators use fossil fuels 30 percent more efficiently than our competitors,”
said Beilfuss. “We are the hybrid vehicle – the Toyota Prius – of energy
generators.” In addition to creating energy efficiently, micro CHPs also
produce excess electricity, which can be sold back to electricity providers in
many markets.

The crowdfunding campaign will help build a demo CHP
expected to be ready for public presentation by June 2015, and contributors
will receive perks. Contributors giving $249 will receive parts needed to build
a miniature mechanism of the CHP engine. Those giving $789 will receive
three-dimensional and two-dimensional drawings and a license to build their own
CHP engine. Those giving $4,479 will be considered an early adopter and receive
a complete set of parts to build their own GDE micro-CHP engine and the rights
to use the engine however they wish.

Contributors giving $9,200 will receive a fully assembled
engine based on the prototype, which has the capacity to three kilowatts of
electrical power and 17 kilowatts of heat. Supporters giving $25,000 will
receive a copy of the fully functional and tested micro-CHP.