A new portable generator set that is very efficient, provides a constant source of
electricity and consumes 10 times less fuel!
Electricity is an essential
part of our lives which we cannot do without. Usually the source is from the
grid! But what if there is a grid failure? Or no grid at all? There are many
alternatives, from renewable sources such as sun and wind but MOST COMMONLY ,
used in 99% cases, is a GENERATOR.
Are there any
enhancements possible to a Generator? YES, and quite dramatic!
P-Gen is used as a
constant source of electricity, no matter for what purpose. As a backup, or
autonomous power supply, you will always have needed electricity at the lowest
cost which is possible to achieve from a generator - even cheaper than
from stationary big diesel generators, and sometimes the grid. Now you can
power anything on the 24/7 basis, and do not worry about fuel, or generator
maintenance. And if little electricity used - little gasoline consumed, no matter over what period of time.
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А perk example
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HOW MUCH IT WILL COST?
Normally it would retail for about 2000 USD. But for the purpose of fundraising, we will ship it at a discounted price of 1450 USD including international shipping (All additional taxation and local charges apply). The supplied version will include generator according to it's specifications. Additional features such as WiFi monitoring and UPS expansion will be included in 2000 USD perk and above. A WiFI and UPS features, could be purchased separately for about $100 and $700 accordingly. A 3G and MPPT solar controller will be available when we reach stretch goals. And if we don't reach stretch goals, they still will be available but with delay of about 6 months.
P-Gen working principle.
The basic principle, is that
engine runs at full efficiency, which is at full power, and all the generated
energy is stored in the Lithium battery. From there, DC current is converted by
Inverter to AC current 110/230V. Current is always present and stored
energy used only as much as it is needed. Therefore, absolutely no fuel is
wasted when there is low or no load at all, and we achieve nearly 100% fuel to electricity
efficiency.
Due to a nature of electricity
consumption, electrical appliances demand current at different rate. For
example a washing machine, when it is in Stand-By consumes very little current,
when it heats up water inside it might consume up to 5 kW but only for a short
period of time, and in the working cycle it might demand from 0,2 to 1kW.
The Generator must maintain
maximum current otherwise it will stall and to do this it uses fuel, which is
being wasted as heat and exhaust. Rarely are you using all your devices at
once. The normal overall load is about 0,1-0,3 kW, which is equivalent to a
working TV, internet router and some lighting. Only when you prepare food, do
your laundry or Hoover the house, the load is about 1-5 kW, but still for short
periods of time 10-15 min, the rest of the time it is not more than 0,5 kW.
Which means you need all generator's power for not more than 1 hour a day, the
rest of the time you don't.
P-Gen ELIMINATES fuel consumption on the low load, which will save about 90% of the fuel, providing electricity 24/7 for household needs.
Who we are & What we need?
Who we are
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We at Pluspower team of dedicated engineers, specializing in cutting edge power
electronics and innovative solutions for energy efficiency. We are full cycle
engineering company, where we design our systems from physics and materials, to
circuit boards and high/low level software. Our specialty is AC/DC and DC/AC
converters, Lithium battery management systems (BMS), including large voltage
and large capacity industrial batteries assembly and controllers which manage
converters and BMS. We have over 10 patents on generator optimization systems
and high frequency planar transformers, which allow us to build high
power converters about 1/5 size of what available on the market, with
efficiency of 97%-98%.
Mostly, we do large optimization systems for villages which live off
diesel generators. There are many isolated settlements in Siberia with about
100-300 inhabitants, where local "GRID" is powered by generator. Our
systems reduce the amount of consumed fuel by about 2 times
in the winter, the period of very high load, and about 10 times in the summer.
When we have finished developing our latest and smallest version of 5 kW
inverter (DC/AC converter), we thought, why cannot our technology be used on a
small scale basis? There are millions of people out there, who don't have any
electricity at all, or have suffered from natural disasters or just want to
have cottage in the middle of nowhere. Why can't they have proper permanent
supply of electricity, which would not consume much fuel and electricity cost
would be not much more than off the grid, or even cheaper?
What we need?
We have finished developing all the "difficult" parts of the system: automatic engine control, permanent magnet alternator, active rectifier, solid 70V 20Ah lithium battery, BMS for that battery, 5 kW inverter and controller with TFT display to manage all that.
The product contains some
expensive parts, the inverter, Lithium battery, alternator, and engine. We are
engineering and development company and we outsource our production. To obtain
cost effective individually made parts, we must:
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Pay for production line setup at manufacturer.
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Place a quantity order to achieve a good price.
And that's where we need your help. If we get advance orders for the P-Gen, we will be able to make first mass series of it. And not just deliver it to our contributors, with this we can attract funding, establish production, and make P-Gen widely available.
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Global impact
We are not just
raising money for the commercial implementation of a good engineering idea but
providing a much needed product with global demand.
Take a look at Earth at night Google maps . What do you see? Some would
say "light pollution", well in some large cities this might be the
case. However, from the electrification point of view, it would be clear, that
only about 20% of the world has direct access to centralized electric grid.
In
South America, Africa, the Near and Middle East where there have been and are
wars the infrastructure is totally destroyed. These are highly populated areas
where people don't have a constant source of electricity. Additionally, where
there natural disasters hundreds of thousands of people are left without
electricity and homes.
There a many fund raising
campaigns, where people gather money for humanitarian causes, like health,
education, natural disaster aid. How is it possible to educate children for
example, when you have electricity for only an hour or two a day? Or what kind
of health aid there could be, if people simple don't have fridges or coolers to
store medicine?
We are great believers in alternative power, we have even added solar panels connection to P-Gen. But for now, the most accessible source of energy is Gasoline, and people use it to make electricity. In a portable generator market 97% is made up of petrol driven
generators. As this is the most popular source of portable electricity today, why not make it cheap,efficient and more ecological?
Every year about 15 million
portable generator sets sold worldwide. All this adds to pollution and other
sorts of ecological consequences, like engine oil spills. Let's make our
contribution, and bring more efficient and cheap electricity, where it is now
needed and while we wait for new sources of electric energy become worldwide
available.
Stretch Goals:
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Risks & Challenges
We have great experience in outsource production, as we have developed and manufactured our products for over 4 years now. We have established strong connections with some of the best (from our point of view) manufacturers in East Asia where main parts and electronics are manufactured.
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Most of the electronic components we use, come from world leading manufacturers, such as STMicroelectronics, Cree, Infineon, Magnetics, Kemet, United Chemi-Con etc. We aim at a world class product of the highest quality.
The key ingredient is the Lithium
LiFePo4 battery which is custom made in Russia. One of the biggest
industrial Lithium battery manufacturers in the World is a Russian
company Liotech.
In close collaboration with Liotech we have developed a custom 70V 20Ah
battery, which will be produced specially for P-Gen. We are technical developer
and producer of battery management systems (BMS) for their batteries.
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Lithium battery prototype.
In our campaign, we are being realistic, and give terms in which we will definitely accomplish production and be able to ship P-Gen to our contributors.
We are professional engineering company, and always stand behind our words and promises. If we fail to ship P-Gen before August 2015, we will make a full refund (less commissions) to anyone who will ask for it and has contributed 1450 USD and above.
To keep you up to date, we will post at least 3 updates a week on our manufacturing progress and once a week new photos of developed parts, serial prototypes and software. Also we will answer all incoming questions, and post additional Q&A if they arise.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can contribute not with money but with an act, that will be valued. If you can spread the word, re-post or promote our campaign in any way, you are most welcome. This would be remunerated on a commercial basis, see our Referral Contest.
Refer as many friends as you can, When their contribution reaches $1000, you get a $200 discount on P-Gen.
When amount of contributions on your behalf reaches $2500, you get a $500 discount on P-Gen.
As if contribution from your friends will go up to $9000, you get a new P-Gen itself, and that includes international delivery!
Questions & Answers
Q: What type of load can I connect to P-Gen
A: Any type of load could be connected, provide it's starting currents are not higher 7000VA, which is nearly all household appliances.
Q: How much gasoline it will use, if i use it 24/7 for my house.
A: From our statistics, we know that on average, household consumes about 6-9 kWhours a day. Provided that power of engine is 3kW, it will work for about 1-3 hours a day, Which is about 1-3 liter of gasoline. BUT, if you use less electricity, the amount of gasoline consumed will be less accordingly.
Q: Can I connect to P-Gen some sensitive equipment like computers, TV, Hi-End music equipment etc.
A: YES. P-Gen generates absolutely sinusoidal voltage, with nearly absence of any distortions. The quality of generated electricity exceeds the quality you get off the grid, therefore any sensitive electronics could be powered.
Q: Can I use it for commercial purposes? To power my shop for example.
A: If your commercial consumer, will consume within 12 kWhours of electricity a day, then it is no problem. This product designed for household usage, and it is not intended for commercial consumers. BUT, you can parallel few P-Gens to increase total output, and daily electricity consumption.
Q: Can I leave P-Gen working unattended for long time?
A: Yes, you can. If total electricity consumption over long period of time, within the capacity of tank, which is 25 liters, or about 83 kWhours. If P-Gen runs out of gasoline, it will automatically switch off.
Q: Is there a remote control possibility?
A: Yes, if you have Wi-Fi, the remote control and monitoring is possible, where you can keep track of it's current state. If you don't have Wi-Fi Internet, there is a 3G modem option, which reveals full remote administration potential, indeed with mobile networks present. A convenient iOS, Android and Windows, monitoring software will be available.
Q: How do I control P-Gen remotely?
A: There are 3 way to do it. 1) you make P-Gen a hotpoint, and connect to it directly via Wi-Fi. 2) P-Gen connects to your Wi-Fi router and you connect to it via Internet/Intranet. 3) Using a 3G module, you can connect to it via mobile Internet. Though you must have a separate SIM card for P-Gen. P-Gen has a 128bit encryption and proprietary communication protocol, which will secure your save connection.
Q: Is there any additional control functions of P-Gen
A: Yes. Scheduler will allow to set precise time when P-Gen outputs power, so you can plan any remote powering strategy. With installation of UPS module, you can plan when and how much energy must be consumed from the grind, when to charge and discharge battery, and presence of solar module will expand scheduling possibilities even further. We will provide a full update on the new features.
Q: Can I use it as UPS?
A: YES. With addition of UPS module (will retail for about 700USD), P-Gen will become On-Line 5kVA UPS. You don't need ATS or anything else. While grid is present, electricity will be supplied from there, when grid goes down, engine will be used to power your needs.
Q: I would like to use photo-voltaic solar panels to reduce fuel consumption.
A: With addition of MPPT solar module (will retail for about 400 USD), which fits inside the enclosure, You can connect up to 4 X 300W photo-voltaic panels. P-Gen has built in 1,2kWh Lithium battery, and inverter. System will preliminary use the energy from panels, and switching engine only in case of solar power shortage. If you live in sunny region, an additional battery could be installed (also fits inside), to increase solar energy storage.
Q: How save is P-Gen?
A: P-Gen absolutely safe. All parts are manufactured from nonflammable materials. There are several internal fuses to protect battery from short circuit. Lithium battery is equipped with sophisticated active battery management system, which prevents it from overcharging. Battery does not burn, explode, produce Hydrogen or any harmful gases. Output has full galvanic isolation, therefore it could be earthed and RCD installed at consumer side for additional safety. At the end of lifetime it could be utilised as standard electronics. LiFePo4 battery does not require special utilisation as it is a household class rubbish.
Q: How do I maintain it?
A: P-Gen will inform you when and what to do. Usually it will be filter and oil change, which is not a big trouble. There are no serviceable parts inside except engine. Used engine will be a mass market engine from one of the popular and reliable manufacturers. Therefore you can service it in any motor shop. Although all P-Gens will undergo stress tests, if it fails in the warranty period, and the problem could not be solved though our resolution center, we will ship new spare parts or generator itself. And indeed we will work for internations partnership with servece centers for a better convenience of our customers.