This can be a "GREEN" solution to expensive electricity. [Gasifier]

[ghosthunter]

Gasifier Portable Power Plant
(140kW fits on a flatbed truck and uses wood chips as fuel).

http://www.forestprod.org/smallwood04prabhu.pdf

Can this be part of the solution to high power rates?

[ghosthunter]

Those who want "greener" energy solutions might want to look into this.

WOOD GAS GENERATOR:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas_generator

GASIFIER KIT:
http://www.gekgasifier.com/

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This technology has been around for decades. It has even been used in WW2 to power vehicles with internal combustion engines.

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Advantages

* They can be used to run internal-combustion engines (or even gas turbines, for maximal efficiency) using wood, a renewable resource, and in the absence of petroleum or natural gas, for example, during a fuel shortage.
* They have a closed carbon cycle, contribute less to global warming, and are sustainable in nature.
* They can be relatively easily fabricated in a crisis using materials on hand.
* They are far cleaner burning than, say, a wood fire or even a gasoline-powered engine is (without emissions controls), producing little if any soot.
* When used in a stationary design, they reach their true potential, as they are feasible to use in small combined heat and power scenarios (with heat recovery from the wood gas producer, and possibly the engine/generator, for example, to heat water for hydronic heating), even in industrialized countries, even during good economic times, provided that a sufficient supply of wood is attainable. Larger-scale installations can reap even better efficiencies, and are useful for district heating as well.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of wood gas generators are their large size, relatively slow starting speed, and batch burning operation, that some designs feature. Also, one of the primary combustible fuel-gasses produced during gasification is Carbon monoxide: it is an intentional fuel-product, and is subsequently burned to safe carbon dioxide in the engine (or other application) along with the other fuel-gases; however, continuous exposure to carbon-monoxide can be fatal to humans even in small to moderate concentrations.

[ghosthunter]

More about GASIFERS:
http://victorygasworks.ning.com/

DOWNDRAFT GASIFER DESIGN:
http://victorygasworks.ning.com/page/downdraft-gasifier

[ghosthunter]

PLANET MECHANICS - WOOD-GAS power pickup truck:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwR18kILPWQ"]YouTube - Planet Mechanics -- Forget Horsepower-We're Talking Treepower[/ame]


Another guy with a wood-gas pickup truck:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14xrKKuQ8-Q&feature=related"]YouTube - Early Run on Woodgas[/ame]


If you can power a truck, you can use the same technology to power an electrical generator.