Cool Energy, Xcel partner on project

Cool Energy Inc. will work with Xcel Energy to install a pilot heat- and power-generation system in a commercial building in Boulder.

Xcel Energy will be providing research and analytical support as Cool Energy installs its SolarFlow System powered by solar energy. The system is designed for residential and small commercial buildings. Cool Energy is leasing 2840 Wilderness Place in Boulder where it will create a demonstration site for the system.

The system includes energy storage and a control system that apportions the system's energy output between heat and electricity depending on the season and weather conditions (both current and forecasted).

Core to the system is Cool Energy's SolarHeart Engine, a specialized Stirling engine powered electric generator that the system activates whenever the electricity produced is more valuable than the heat consumed.

"We are pleased to have Xcel Energy's interest in and support for the SolarFlow System pilot," said Sam Weaver, president and chief executive of Cool Energy. "Having such features as thermal storage and smart grid-compatible control of the energy produced, has the potential for improving a utility's overall operational efficiency."

He said the system will provide substantial financial relief for homeowners and offset the need for utilities to add more generation facilities that are particularly costly during peak consumption periods.

Dennis Stephens, Xcel's director of smart-grid investments, said the energy industry is interested in the potential to provide power on demand at times when energy consumption is high.

Boulder County Business Report