Austria-based ÖkoFEN is developing a >5kW cogeneration pellet boiler prototype system, and the first beta installations are expected before the end of the year to serve large residential and small to medium businesses. The biomass boiler is designed with Qnergy’s Stirling engine inside to deliver heat and power in one platform.
“5 kw of electricity and higher allows us to tap into new markets for cogeneration that so far have been out of our scope” said ÖkoFEN founder and CEO Herbert Ortner.
The pellet boiler works by transferring heat from the burner flue gas to the head of the QB7500 external combustion Stirling engine, initiating a cyclic heating and cooling process of inert gas inside the engine. During this thermodynamic process, electricity is generated via the QB7500’s linear alternator.
The heat then travels through the boiler to supply hot water for space heating or for industrial and commercial process needs. The cogeneration system generates inexpensive grid-quality electricity as a by-product of the hot water production.
