Honda Introduces All-New Micro-Heat and Power Unit

[xcel]

If you have a NG_or Propane gas supply and your local electric rates are out of hand, the system may help reduce total outlay.

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Nov. 20, 2008

Honda/ECR’s Freewatt high efficiency furnace with the MCHP (approximately 3 ft tall) to its right.

Honda introduced its all-new Micro-sized Combined Heat and Power (MCHP) cogeneration unit today at the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Honda MCHP is a heat transfer and power generation device that provides home heating or water heating as well as electrical power for a variety of home applications. The new Honda MCHP Deluxe system features advanced, highly-efficient energy management technologies for home heating and power combined with a new automatic back-up power feature (a residential stand-by generator) that can provide back-up electricity in the event of a power failure.

Features and Benefits

The Freewatt system produces electric power as a byproduct of its heating function. In use, the MCHP module has provided as much as 75 percent of a home's heating demand plus enough electricity to power lights, small appliances and security systems. The electric power produced by the system displaces electricity that consumers would otherwise purchase from the local electric utilities, helping homeowners save $500 to $1,000 per year on their electric bills.

MCHP owners also can utilize net metering to realize an additional, unique financial benefit of using the Freewatt system. In states where this energy policy is legislated, homeowners can sell unused electric power generated by the MCHP to the public utilities in their communities, providing savings on electricity costs.

The new Honda MCHP Deluxe system incorporates a battery-back up system that includes a long-life, five-year nickel metal hydride battery for dependable starts in back-up power mode during utility power outages. The system also includes a Honda residential stand-by generator that provides back-up electricity in the event of a total power failure. The generator operates on natural gas or propane, features a DC/DC converter that detects utility power outages providing up to 1.8 KW in back up and boost modes and incorporates sensor technology to enhance engine performance.

The ultra-quiet MCHP Deluxe unit produces 3.26 KW of heat and a maximum of 1.8 KW of electric power, an improvement over Honda's Standard MCHP system that produces a maximum of 1.2 kilowatts of power. Both models allow homeowners to reduce their utility bills and possibly curb CO2 emissions depending on how their electric power is sourced while improving overall energy efficiency and comfort.
With regards to total energy costs, test data has shown that when a Honda MCHP system is paired with a high efficiency system such as ECR's Freewatt™ replacing a typical 80 percent efficiency home heating system, homeowners can realize an average of 30 percent in energy cost savings.

In addition, the system produces 30 percent less CO2 to produce a given amount of heat and electricity than a conventional heating system with electricity provided from the local utility company via non-nuclear or non-renewable sources.

"Across all markets in which we sell products, the Honda mission is to bring advanced, innovative and environmentally responsible products to our customers," said Steve Bailey, vice president of power equipment for American Honda. "The Honda MCHP systems fulfill this mission by helping homeowners save energy, reduce greenhouse gasses and save money on their home heating while enjoying the high level of comfort and performance they have come to expect."

The Honda MCHP Deluxe units will only be sold in the United States and be marketed via Honda's Power Equipment Division in Alpharetta, Georgia. More than 60,000 MCHP units have been sold globally since its introduction in 2003.

[bnther]

...Sweet..

[bestmapman]

How much does a unit like that cost?

[Radio_tec]

There was no mention of it but this sounds suspiciously like a residential fuel cell power generation unit. They take in natural gas and a reformer separates the hydrogen from the carbon atoms in methane molecule and expels water vapor and heat. The amount of heat co-generated is inherent in the reaction and can be used to heat water or the home's interior. The ones I saw 8 years ago generated around 3 KW of power. That should provide about 75% of a home's energy needs in the winter but in the summer it would be more like 25% to 33% if the air-conditioner is turned on.

For me the cost was prohibitive because they weren't that cheap. Also if for some reason the price of platinum spikes on the commodities market you'd better guard your fuel cell unit from thieves assuming they know you have one and recognize it for what it is.

Fuel cells use platinum for the membrane exchange component. We had a rash of air conditioner condenser bandits here in Houston during the hot summer because copper prices had spiked. Platinum would be an even greater attraction for a thief.

[donee]

Hi All,

This would keep the furnace running during an Ice Storm.

While it could be a PEM fuel cell with H2 reforming. There are fuel cells - Solid Oxide Fuel Cells - that operate in the 600 or so C range that can use hydrocarbons directly as fuels, without reforming. One company has proposed using these in cars, but the cost of keeping the reactor up at 600 plus C for instant on has not been figured out. These types of hydrocarbon fuel cells are commonly used by power companies, besides small turbine engines (surplus rebuilt aircraft engines typically), for peaking power during the summer. This unit could also be thermo-photonic cells (like solar cells but for infra red). One lines the combustion chamber with these cells, which are quite power dense in comparson to solar cells, and the burn products then go through a heat exchanger.

[Tochatihu]

Plug this into a methane digester and you're all set.

Honda is the clear leader in power products sort of spun off from their vehicle work. In a parallel universe the GM bailout plan would have sent them in a similar direction. Oh well, we can't all be innovators...


DAS