A niche market for steam is probably profitable. The key word here is niche. A small, simple, reliable and relatively efficient engine fitted with a steam generator that burns a variety of solid fuels might interest farmers, survivalists and those with vacation cabins off the grid. Cyclone, of course, got caught up in the unbelievable grandiosity of their motto (One Planet, One Engine) and spent incredible resources pursuing a product aimed at a market that barely existed. To make matters worse, they committed to absolutely peak efficiency by employing a whole slew of technologies that were either overly expensive and complicated or just plain impractical. They desperately needed to hire an expert in market analysis to determine whether customers were available in sufficient numbers and to pin point what it would take to get them to buy. As an example of what I am talking about; cost is usually a factor in almost any purchase but Cyclone built a small engine with 6 cylinders whereas a comparable IC engine could be purchased having only one.
I just bring this up because I do believe that niche market exists and someone might want to go after it. Before they do, a whole lot of homework needs to be done to identify customers and their needs and expectations then an engineering analysis is needed to see if a product can be tailored to meet these conditions and be sold at a healthy profit. I know, I know, this is blatantly obvious. On the other hand, the internet is chock full of startups like Cyclone that seem to think having a neat idea is all you need to solicit investors and make a fortune.
