Power failure fuels energy innovation
SUMMERLAND —A 2008 power failure in Summerland has led to a potential worldwide revolution in electrical energy production. “When the lights went off, an idea popped into my head,” said Jai Zachary, founder and president of Summerland-based ElectroMotion Energy Corporation.
A serial entrepreneur, Zachary is used to managing large amounts of data having created and sold a pre-Google Earth application and started Zachary Integrated Banking Solutions Inc. “It’s really all about heat,” said Zachary. He explained that when electricity is generated, considerable heat is produced and lost.
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has estimated that two-thirds of the energy used to produce electricity is lost as heat.
“That’s thermal pollution. Think about that on a global scale,” he said.
Zachary’s concept reduces this pollution at a 3to-1 ratio in addition to substantially reducing carbon emissions.
“We’re the opposite. On a micro level (individual home), we use small amounts of gas to run a motor to generate electricity, but we capture the heat to make hot water and heat space. Electricity is the by product,” Zachary said.
The concept is simple but the practicality is anything but—last week he sent a package of 110 claims to the Canadian patent office.
That’s in addition to the 37 claims he submitted in 2009.
Zachary holds patents on his concept in the U.S., European Union and Asia.
The Revolution™, a free standing unit, provides unprecedented reductions in energy consumption, carbon emissions and costs for the residential sites and for the electrical and gas utilities, he explained.
It generates space heating and hot water when it’s most expensive—during peak demand times—and while doing so shares its electricity with the grid generating revenue and credits.
Harkening back to December 2008, the Revolution™ provides onsite power generation to prevent loss of electricity when the power fails.
Zachary projects that peak penalties paid by Summerland consumers from 2012 to 2022 will total $15 million, a staggering amount of money to be leaving a community of just over 11,000 residents.
In 2013, ElectroMotion Energy and the District of Summerland began participating in a collaborative effort to investigate potential reduction in peak energy demands and to explore generation and operational models.
Zachary has been contacted by government leaders and utility representatives from Canada and overseas.
A prototype house designed for the Northwest Territories using ElectroMotion’s technology was built two years ago.
The house could result in energy savings of up to 70 per cent, according to Zachary.
Last week, ElectroMotion Energy announced that it is gearing up for initial production in Summerland of the Revolution™.
This is in response to a three-year renewal of the pilot project with the district on grid management and distribution of electricity during peak periods Zachary explained.
Most of the initial Revolution™ units manufactured in Summerland will be installed in the community and in other test locations across the province.
Zachary anticipates eventually establishing a major manufacturing facility in the Okanagan, preferably in Summerland.
First, however, he must finalize the design and find workers.
“Production is anticipated to result in hundreds of jobs,” Zachary said.
ElectroMotion Energy recently received a big boost when Rocket Builders, a market strategy and consulting firm, put the company on its Cleantech Emerging Rocket list.
This honour is given to companies with the most potential growth.
For more information visit www.electromotionenergy.com or email jzachary@electromotionenergy.com