January 20th, 2009
Want to own your own home generator?
Want to turn your trash into treasure? This isn’t some come-on about finding a Hank Aaron baseball card in the back of the garage. This is about regularly disposing of your trash by turning it into electricity. So IST Energy of Massachussetts says it’s a got a gem for you. Make that a “GEM,” Green Energy Machine.
“The GEM is the first compact and mobile waste-to-energy system, making it ideally suited for on-site installation at any location producing at least two tons of trash daily. Customer demonstrations are currently being scheduled and initial deliveries are planned for this summer.”
The GEM. Courtesy of IST Energy.
Timing the announcement for the Obama Inaguration week, IST’s CEO says, “The GEM has created a value for every bag of trash we generate - first by eliminating the need for disposal and then by converting it into energy. This model can save businesses, institutions and municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Never have sustainability and environmental stewardship been more of a focal point for Americans, especially considering President Obama’s goals for energy independence.”
The GEM powers itself from the trash it consumes, says IST. And it’s supposed to be carbon negative. Here’s how IST’s press release describes GEM’s functioning: “In addition to eliminating 95 percent of daily consumer waste, such as paper, plastic, food, wood and agricultural materials, the GEM doubles as a clean energy producer. Through a patent-pending process, the system converts everyday trash into small pellets that are, in turn, converted into electricity and gas heat.”
Here are the steps in the GEM process described by IST:
1) Waste is fed into the system by an operator
2) Waste is densified, conditioned, and converted into optimized fuel pellets
3) Fuel pellets are gasified and synthetic gas is created
4) Synthetic gas powers generator
5) Generator produces electricity
IST Energy is a subsidiary of InfoSciTex, a Waltham, Mass. company that’s privately owned and an established defense contractor.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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