'Green Machine' wins energy awards

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A small Carson City company and its "Green Machine" are getting some big-time attention in the world of innovation and energy conservation.




ElectraTherm Inc., founded 41/2 years ago by entrepreneur Richard Langson, began shipping its 5-foot-by-5-foot Green Machine last month after a successful field trial in 2008 at Southern Methodist University in Texas.
The device has helped garner several local and national honors for ElectraTherm, most recently the 2009 Green Company of the Year award last month from Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
The machine is placed alongside a business's energy source where it extracts waste heat and converts it into electricity.
The power is then fed back into the business's power grid, adding up to 10 percent more electricity and saving on monthly bills.
"This is another example of a company in Northern Nevada that is making an impact beyond our state's borders," said NCET Chairman Dave LaPlante, a Reno tech executive. "The snowball has begun to roll in Northern Nevada for green energy companies."
Electricity production
The Green Machine is capable of producing up to 50 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power 25 to 30 mid-sized homes, said Steve Olson, ElectraTherm president.
"There's a lot of waste heat generated in a lot of industries," Olson said. "We extract that and turn it into electricity."
In interviews earlier this year with the Reno Gazette-Journal, Langson said the device works as "a refrigerator running in reverse," and his goal is to someday make the Green Machine applicable to homes.
He said, "It's a totally green process with no emissions. There are thousands of applications for this."
Olson said units sell through independent dealers and cost about $125,000 plus installation. Depending on a business's needs and power bills, the return on investment is about three years -- shorter with higher energy costs, he said.
Among ElectraTherm's first customers is the Florida Canyon Mine north of Lovelock, where two Green Machines were deployed last month.

'Green Machine' wins energy awards | rgj.com | The Reno Gazette-Journal