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(10:00) Moderator: Vincent Manno, Professor of Mechnanical Engineering, Tufts Univeristy Bringing energy efficiency to the marketplace has been a major problem for a long time, and is just now coming to the surface. The industry has coined the term “From Bench to Bedside.”Manno believes that “Energy is the lifeblood of our society” and that this is an important topic to be continually under discussion.(10:15) Mitch Tyson – CEO of Advanced Electron Beams Electron Beams, the process of channeling electrons in a certain direction, is useful for many industrial processes such as sterilization, pollution abatement, and polymer treatment. However, size and cost make the technology relatively prohibitive. Advanced Electron Beams has created a device that is 10% of a size of traditional electron beam generators and at a much lower cost. Mitch Tyson hopes that this will open new doors for the technology.
(10:40) Bill Davis – CEO of Ze-gen The United States landfills $30 Billion a year in energy potential in landfills. In Massachusetts, we send all of our garbage to other state. Landfilling ends when advanced technologies which don’t require high tipping fees come to market. Ze-gen ,a low cost gasification of waste, provides a solution to the landfilling problem. Ze-gen produces Syngas from waste through the use of intensive heat. Syngas can be used to produce electricity, for combined heat and power systems, and to produce hydrogen for the oil refining process.
(11:00)Tim Healy – CEO of EnerNOC Demand Response is the curtailment of energy use at peak times. EnerNOC is the largest sole Demand Response Network in the country. EnerNOC monitors the grid, and at peak demand times will control certain energy uses of their clients, reducing the chances of an overload. The utilities controlling the grid will compensate EnerNOC, which will in turn compensate their clients. Tim Healy argues that demand response is as good or better than wind or solar, as “a kilowatt not used is the cleanest kilowatt possible.”
(11:15) Art Hennessey – CFO of American Capital Energy American Capital Energy are Solar Integrators. They generally work on flat roof instillations of PV solar panels. They currently have use no Angel or Venture Capital funding, meaning that they are debt free. Hennessey believes that working without vc funding is the best way to go for startups if at possible. American Capital Energy is currently moving into states with heavy rebates such as California, Connecticut, New Jersey. Hennessey explained that no one is looking at the 300 Pound Gorilla in the room – Subsidies. Oil, Gas, Coal, Nuclear all have the heaviest subsidies in the energy business, and that is where the real problem is.
- Jayson
Art Hennessy makes a good point about all the subsidies of energy.
And still oil is over $100 a barrel. Which helps fuel the renewables companies, but can be also their demise. Remember oil can always go down to $25 a barrel very suddenly due o market reactions. And South Africa has been making oil out of coal for 35 yeras at $25 a barrel so why couldn’t the rest of the world convert some of the 1000 year coal reserves? Please leave out the CO2 discussion for a moment, since we will need the oil ( out of oil or out of coal) one way or the other.