March 5, 2012
Cyclone friends and family,
We’re just now coming up for air from a whirlwind week in Washington DC at the ARPA-e conference. We are happy to report that it was a very productive, informative and successful trip.
First, there were some amazing technologies displayed at the show – of particular interest to Cyclone were new materials to store thermal energy (heat), advanced bio-fuel production from algae and other feedstock, biomass combustion systems, intelligent magnetic bearing materials, and compact heat-based cooling/chilling units. Many of the technologies displayed were very early stage – in fact, the Cyclone Engine was one of the furthest along in its development cycle. We also had the only running engine (on air) on display, and certainly the only all-fuel capable engine in the field.
This last point – all fuel capability (including waste heat and solar) – was of particular interest to many other attendees at the conference. These included high-ranking officials from the Department of Energy and ARPA-e, large engine manufacturers, truck manufacturers, energy companies and power utilities, robotics developers, defense contractors and branches of the military, and prominent investment groups – all of whom spent substantial time at Cyclone’s booth, as well as inviting us to one-on-one meetings throughout the week.
A major theme running through the conference was the new paradigm of “cheap energy” that could result from recent advancements in domestic natural gas exploration and extraction. Natural gas was discussed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, FedEx Chairman Fred Smith, former WalMart CEO Lee Scott, and even President Bill Clinton in his key note speech. There is an enormous political push right now to support technologies (both in transportation and power generation) that will be able to utilize America’s vast resources of natural gas. This certainly applies to the Cyclone Engine, which can run on natural gas without major changes to its operation or systems, which cannot be said of internal combustion engines. But what we think is even more important is that with the shifting focus from traditional fuels to bio-fuels to natural gas (which will undoubtedly shift again), the Cyclone Engine is the only engine that really doesn’t care which way the winds blow. Being able to run on any fuel, and run it cleanly and efficiently, puts Cyclone in a class by itself.
Finally, we’d like to thank everyone for their hard work with the show, including our road team Harry, Chris and Doug, our home team supported by Frankie, and our DC connection Roger Ballentine for bringing so many important people to our booth. And thank you, Cycloners, for being so supportive along the way. After this conference, we are more confident than ever that we have the right technology at the right time.
- The Cyclone Team
AI
