Michael Colijn

1
What do you do, when you are ahead of the rest?

• Michael Colijn
• Paris 29-30 May 2008
• Gas Industry Workshop on microCHP

2

• - The Product -
• (from idea to commerce)

3
WhisperGen MicroCHP System
Enclosure
Additional burner
Burner
Exhaust Heat Exchanger
Core engine
Fan
Electrical output
Gas valve/controller
Alternator
Heating water circuit
4
The WhisperGen Stirling Engine
Technical Details Model / Housing MkV AC
Generator gas fired, floor standing unit Motor
Double acting 4-Cylinder-Stirling-CyclePower
Electric 1.000W AC at 220 240V.Heat Standard
heat output 7,5kW and maximum heat output
12kWFuel Natural gas most typesGrid
connection 4-pole Asynchronous,IEC
connection Size Weight 480 x 560 x 840 (B x D x
H)lt137 kgEnvironment Ambient temp
0-45CHumidity 0-95Flue gas Horizontal or
vertical connectionCertification CE-marked
local accreditation
5
The WhisperGen EU1

• Based on the same 4-cylinder design
• Principle is reliability, stability,
  manufacturability
• If anybody claims to have a product, there are
  only 3 questions to ask
• Can you make it in volume for ltEuro 1500?
• Can I buy one today?
• Can you show a mean life of 10 yrs

6

• The Marriage
• (of a little girl with a BIG BOY)

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WhisperGen

• Heres what Wikipedia has to say
• WhisperGen, a New Zealand-based company has
  developed stirling engines that can be powered by
  natural gas or diesel. Recently an agreement has
  been signed with Mondragon Corporación
  Cooperativa, a Spanish firm, to produce
  WhisperGen's microCHP and make them available for
  the domestic market in Europe.
• Founded 1995 based on a development by Don
  Clucas
• Employees 100
• Ranking 1st Commercial Stirling microCHP company
  worldwide
• Structure Limited Company, gt93 owned by
  Meridian Energy, New Zealands largest energy
  supplier that is 100 Government owned

8
WhisperGen

• So what have they manufactured in Christchurch?
• Since its start in 1995, WhisperGen has
  manufactured 2500 units
• 7 large winter trials of gt500 units across Europe
• 15 different locations countries
• Life time testing of gt100.000 hours cumulatively
• Longest running units have 10 years life
• Proven reliability lab, field trials, with
  end-users
• Proven energy saving, proven carbon saving
• Proven commercial viability

9
WhisperGen

• So where do they make these WhisperGens?

WhisperGen country Christchurch
10
Mondragon Cooperative Corporation

• Heres what Wikipedia has to say
• The Mondragón Cooperative Corporation is a group
  of manufacturing and retail companies based in
  the Basque Country and extended over the rest of
  Spain and abroad. It is one of the world's
  largest worker cooperatives and one important
  example of workers' self-management
• Founded 1956 by a priest, Father Arizmendi
• Employees 100.000, and still growing
• Structure Workers Cooperative
• Turnover Euro 14 billion 2007
• Total Assets Euro 43 billion
• Ranking 7th largest industrial group

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Mondragon Cooperative Corporation

• So what do they manufacture, apart from
  WhisperGens?
• They make gt1000 different products in gt100
  factories, with a total space of more than gt1
  million football fields
• But for us today it is important to know they
  make gt1,000,000 gas fired heating appliances per
  year. And they make engines for Europes largest
  car brands, and they make gt8m units of whitegoods
  (fridges, washing machines etc) per year.
• The combined knowledge of gas industry, white
  goods appliances and automotive is why WhisperGen
  wanted to work with MCC.

12
Mondragon Cooperative Corporation

• So where do they manufacture these WhisperGens?

MCC country Mondragon
13
The Joint Venture
WhisperGen
MCC
EHE Efficient Home Energy
Production of WhisperGens for Europe in Europe
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The Joint Venture

• Based in the Basque Country
• On its own land
• Own factory line
• Using expertise, personnel and logistics from
  both MCC and WhisperGen
• Initial line of 30,000 units p.a.
• Low volume production Q4 2008
• Slowly ramping up towards end 2009
• Distribution in Europe
• Main distribution partners identified
• Network in 6 key countries established
• Service team functional experienced

15

• - The Test
• (the proof of the pudding)

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The Test

• High number of installations
• In different countries
• Different partners
• At least 3 winters
• Integrate your findings
• To build commercial product

17
Where are those WhisperGens?
B Lab tests
NL 5th year
S Several sites
UK 6th year
D Many trials
IR large trial
A Trials
CH Trials
SI Test units
FR Large trials
IT Field trials
ES Trials
P Several sites
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Future Tech The Virtual Power Plant Testing
the strength of the network with 48 WhisperGens
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Future Tech The Virtual Power Plant Testing
the strength of the network with 48 WhisperGens

• Conclusions from the test with WhisperGens on the
  Grid
• The Network is SAFE
• The Network is STABLE
• WhisperGen can be INSTALLED without any special
  changes

20

• - Next steps
• (toward a real microCHP market)

21
Next steps

• Stop the next year syndrome, by starting
  production now
• Work with industry to call for fair open access
  to market grid connection, gas efficiency
  standards
• Fight unfair standards with aligned companies and
  governments

22
Next steps

• The most important issue for microCHP is that
  governments understand its simplicity
• Our technology gives energy saving
• Energy saving carbon reduction
• At all cost we collectively need to avoid
  overcomplicated calculations that do not work
  thermodynamically, and nobody understands
• WhisperGen/EHE will continue to work with
  industry on collective standards and government
  support across Europe for a range of technologies

23
What can we learn from Alice in Wonderland?

• Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you
  can do, to keep in the same place.
• If you want to get somewhere else, you must run
  at least twice as fast as that!

Alice takes advice from the Queen...
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So, what do you do, when you are ahead of the
rest?

• 1.You look for confirmation
• in what you are doing by testing, testing,
  testing
• 2.You work with fellow developers
• future competitors to develop the market, fair
  standards
• And
• 3.You keep running as fast as you can, because
  there is nothing less certain than staying in
  front.