Microgrid power and cooling for 150 to 200 homes
Powerhood is the Breeze system for communities. Built around a local compressed air backbone, it uses air turbines to generate electricity for a microgrid of 150 to 200 homes and delivers cooling from the cold turbine exhaust. It can be installed before the homes are built.
What a compressed air community microgrid is
| Serves | 150 to 200 homes |
|---|---|
| Air pipe | New poly pipe in a trench |
| Turbines housed in | A hut, shared or one per building |
| Cooling through | Standard ductwork or radiant coils |
| Compressor drive | Gas, then renewables |
A compressed air community microgrid is a local energy system that supplies a group of homes with electricity and cooling from air stored under pressure in a pipe. Breeze calls its version Powerhood and sizes each system for 150 to 200 homes. A compressor, driven at first by a natural gas engine, takes in outside air and pushes it into a pipe laid in a trench through the neighborhood. That pipe is the backbone of the microgrid: it holds the air until it is wanted and carries it to the homes. Near the homes the air is released through a turbine that turns a generator, and no fuel is burned at that end. The air leaving the turbine is very cold, so the same system cools the homes through standard ductwork or radiant coils. When solar or wind is added, a renewable-powered motor replaces the gas engine, and the pipe and the turbines stay as they are.
Who Powerhood is for
Developers of new housing
The system can go in before the first home and supply compressed air for pneumatic tools while the homes are built. In its community video, Breeze says potential land value increases approach 800%.
Remote and underserved communities
Powerhood suits housing clusters that are remote or poorly served by existing energy infrastructure.
Utilities
A utility can add microgrid power and cooling one system at a time, as homes are added.
The problem it solves
A new neighborhood needs energy from the first day of construction, long before anyone moves in. Grid delays and high energy costs slow growth in emerging regions and on remote projects. Breeze describes its system as energy without interconnection delays.
Powerhood supplies electricity and cooling without solar panels or diesel generators. It starts with gas-powered air compressors and moves to renewable power when that is ready.
How Powerhood works for a neighborhood
The same system serves the building site first and the finished homes afterwards.
Before the homes are built
The compressor and the air pipe go in ahead of the first home. The pipe is new poly pipe laid in a trench, with communication wires alongside it.
During construction
The system supplies compressed air for pneumatic tools on the building site.
After construction
Turbines in a hut, shared or one per building, turn generators that power the homes. Their cold exhaust cools the homes through standard ductwork or radiant coils.
| Homes per system | 150 to 200 |
|---|---|
| Pipe pressure rating | About 150 psi, plastic pipe in the New Mexico pilot |
| Potential land value | Increases approaching 800% |
Questions about community microgrids
Does a Powerhood microgrid have to wait for a grid interconnection?
No. Breeze describes the system as energy without interconnection delays. A Powerhood microgrid runs on its own compressed air supply: the compressor, the pipe and the turbines are on the site, and the electricity is generated beside the homes.
Can the system be installed before the homes exist?
Yes. Powerhood can be installed before the homes are built, and during construction it supplies compressed air for pneumatic tools. After construction the same system powers the homes and cools them.
What fuel does a Powerhood system use?
Natural gas at first, and only at the compressor. A gas engine drives the compressor, and nothing is burned at the turbines near the homes. When solar or wind is added, a renewable-powered motor replaces the engine and the rest of the system stays.
How are the homes cooled?
With the cold air that leaves the turbines. Air cools sharply as it expands through a turbine, and that exhaust is delivered through standard ductwork or radiant coils. Breeze also describes using it to run a freezer.
Can a community grow beyond 200 homes?
Yes. Homes can be added to a system, and further systems can be added as the community grows.
What happens to the heat from compression?
It is available at the compressor site as a by-product. Compressing air heats it and takes water out of it, and Breeze proposes sending both to nearby greenhouses.
The community grid, explained in two videos
What the video covers
The video follows the system through a neighborhood: a compressor that starts on natural gas and moves to solar, poly pipe in a trench with communication wires, and turbines in a shared or per-building hut. It also covers cooling from the cold exhaust and the proposal to send compression heat and water to greenhouses.
A grid that runs on its own air supply
This video outlines the whole system as an independent grid, one that runs on its own compressed air supply. The compressor starts on natural gas and moves to solar.
The same system, used elsewhere
How it works
The whole chain in four stages: compressor, pipeline, turbine, and the move from gas to renewable power.
How compressed air pipeline energy worksPipeline energy storage
CAPS turns stranded oil and gas pipelines into long-distance energy storage and delivery, with energy nodes along the route.
About CAPS pipeline storageData center cooling
Cold turbine exhaust air, supplied on site or by pipeline, cools a data center through its standard ventilation.
About data center coolingPlanning a community of 150 to 200 homes?
Tell us where it is and when construction starts.