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Modern civilization has been built on man's increasingly effective harnessing of sources of energy to do work, from simple machines that utilize steam, coal, oil and beyond to new
directions such as biomass.
AgriPower, Inc. (the "Company" or "AgriPower") is a California Corporation formed in 1997 that is focused on providing electric power to developing and agricultural countries. The Company's
patented technology is centered on an affordable, transportable and self-contained power plant, "the AgriPower Unit" which is fueled by renewable agricultural biomass i.e., wood chips, sawdust, sugar cane bagasse, coconut and peanut shells, etc. The AgriPower Unit which operates using virtually free biomass fuel was designed to compete with electrical generators that use expensive diesel fuel to operate. The Company has developed a unique and innovative system while at the same time retaining the reliability and performance features of well-established technologies and component parts. One of these established technologies is the fluidized bed. The Interior Department's Office, a forerunner of the Energy Department, began studying the fluidized bed combustion concept in the early 1960's with a fluidized bed pioneering unit installed on the Georgetown University campus in 1979, which is still operating today. Due to the advantageous characteristics of fluidization, wherein 100% of the fuel is combusted, it is currently widely used as a combustor for biomass. It can handle various characteristics of fuels; from low to high humidity, from high to low density, and small to medium particle size and does so virtually without pollution.
The growth in electrical demand for developing regions of the world is expected to double over the next ten years. Management has identified a significant worldwide need for decentralized power generating capacity
capable of being fueled by locally abundant biomass fuels. The AgriPower Unit has been specifically designed, sized, engineered, and fabricated to capitalize on this opportunity by providing localized electrical generating capacity, reducing or eliminating the expense and global dependence on fuel oil, and on leveraging an underutilized fuel resource – biomass. One of the AgriPower Unit's unique capabilities is its ability to use various types of biomass fuel.
The core design concept for the AgriPower system combines thoroughly proven and highly developed technologies to form an innovative and highly reliable package for operators and energy consumers. The AgriPower system integrates fluidized bed combustion and gas turbine generation as a stand-alone power-generating island. The AgriPower Unit's power plant is versatile in the consumption of biomass fuels, which makes it attractive for power generation both in developed areas as well as remote locations or isolated regions such as islands. The system can be connected to and synchronized with an existing power grid if it is available. The system is modular in design and is transportable. System delivery lead times will be measured in months, and useful power will be available within days of site installation.
Benefits to AgriPower Operators and Energy Consumers:
Ability to operate using a wide range of biomass fuels
Modular design to optimize prefabrication and on-site assembly benefits
Thermal energy utilization for Add-On Module sales
Use of readily available, off-the-shelf commercial products from multiple sources to the maximum extent possible
Fluidized bed combustion is a well-established technology, proven in more than 50 years of commercial operating experience around the world. It has been used extensively with coal and more difficult solid fuels that
cannot be burned efficiently in conventional combustors or energy systems. Gas turbine technology has been a major source of power generation for decades. There are tens of thousands of gas turbine units
around the world ranging in size from less than 100 Kw to more than 300,000 Kw. Some gas turbines have run in excess of 100,000 hours and are still in operation.
These two base technologies have been combined into a unique modular and compact flagship product – the AgriPower Unit. The electrical generating capacity of 225 Kw net has been strategically selected to
capitalize on what the Company believes is an attractive market niche virtually ignored by major power equipment producers. The AgriPower Unit is positioned as an economic alternative to electric grid extension and/or a substitute for expensive diesel fuel generators. The Company has developed a unique and innovative system while at the same time retaining the reliability and performance features of well-established technologies.
The AgriPower Unit will provide environmentally responsible, low-cost electrical power to the people of the world most in need. The Company is dedicated to solving the energy crisis that developing countries are facing today, by providing small and affordable power plants that consume agricultural waste to produce economically and environmentally attractive electrical power, and additional thermal, and other benefits.
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