Run-about cycles in the Law Building

Element One, Inc. –  A new Era in Hydrogen Detection
Presented by William Hoagland, President
whoagland@elem1.com

Element One, Inc., based in Boulder, Colorado, has developed a unique gas sensing technology that makes it possible to produce a wide array of low cost, reliable hydrogen detection products.   Products made possible by this technology are indicating paints and specialty coatings, inks, marking pens, indicating tapes, stretch films, shrink wrap, and low cost RFID smart tags that could be used to create a network of detectors.  Hydrogen use is growing by 10% per year – the market is in the tens of millions and over !00 million world-wide.  With the potential increase in it’s use as a consumer fuel, there’s great reservations about its safety.  Hydrogen is an odorless and highly explosive gas, that’s hard to contain and difficult to detect.

Element One, Inc. has created the only available “smart” coatings for the detection of leaked hydrogen which change color, either reversibly or non-reversibly as desired.  They have applied this technology to a wide range of products:

• smart inks or paints (1.5yr lifespan)
• thin film indicator – can be used for safety decals and labels
• flexible tape – applied to pipes, seals
• shrink-wrap – used for packaging in transport
• RFID sensors – installed at facilities and plants

The non-reversible sensors serve a “single use” function, as the color indicator is a permanent change.  The reversible sensors are multi-use items – the color indicator disappears once it exposed to oxygen.  Even though it’s reversible, they will still need to be replaced every so often, as it’s sensitivity will diminish over time.

Element One has identified 3 main markets for it’s line of products and examples of the industries in each market:
1. Hydrogen Leak Detection

• Energy Systems & Fuel Cells
• Oil & Gas
• Chemical
• Nuclear
• Food Processing
• Space

2. Contaminated Drywall

• Builders
• Inspectors
• Home-owners

3. Bio-Medical Testing

• Hospitals
• Research labs

The availability of these products will reduce concerns over the safe use of hydrogen in the next generation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in consumer environments where the lack of operating experience has been identified as a significant barrier to their widespread adoption.

This sensing technology has been extended to chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and several other hazardous gases.  Element One Labs is now completing product development and testing to introduce the next generation of low-cost hazardous gas leak detectors to the existing $500+ million gas sensor market and facilitating the transition to hydrogen vehicles.  They are actively looking industry partners in the areas of strategy/finance, testing and manufacturing.

Run About Cycles Inc –  Enhancing the Cycling Experience
Presented by Joshua C. Kerson, Founder
Josh@runaboutcycles.com

RunAbout Cycles has been specializing in green local transportation options since 2004 and is recognized as one of the prime manufacturers of electric powered personal vehicles. They offer quality support for a wide range of electric cycles, including electric tricycles, bicycles and motorcycles. Runabout Cycles is positioned to create an Electric Bicycle distribution network in the marketplace.
There are over 300 electric bicycle companies in the world today and nearly 1 in 7 manufactured bikes is Electric. With the majority of the European tradeshow floors focused on Electric and over 100 million Electric bikes on the roads in China, there’s obvious opportunities to expand this market in the US. The advanced technologies in Electric bikes are creating exceptional value for today’s end user. The US demographic trends are also indicators of the market potential. 70 million people are approaching retirement, and the 50+ age group is looking for ways to resume exercise habits. There are also currently 5,000 closed gate communities where a lighter (and greener) form of transport is ideal.

The benefits of Electric bikes are both financial and medical. Cycling strengthens your heart and lungs without placing unnecessary stress on your joints. It naturally tones the body’s musculature, and remains one of the best cardiovascular exercises that one can do. Plus, with the Electric bike, there’s motor that can provide assistant if it becomes a bit strenuous. Economically it is much cheaper than operating and owning a car. The Electric bike can achieve 1,000m/gal compared to fuel operated alternatives. These Electric bikes also fall into the bike class (1hp and up to 20mph) that does not require registration, inspection, insurance and driver’s license.

An electric bike at RunAbout Cycles starts at $1,200 – $1,500 and can run up to $6-8K for a custom high-end bike in the 100+ mile range. The average price in Europe for an Electric bike is $2,500 or $600-$700 in box box stores. RunAbout Cycles also offers kits to retrofit your current bike as an alternative to purchasing a new unit. They project that the E-bike conversions and accessories will generate an additional 30% in revenue.

The maintenance is also relatively simple – just plug into a standard electric outlet with the supplied adaptor. A full charge takes only four hours to complete. RunAbout Cycles also has trained and qualified technicians to help diagnose and fix any problems.

RunAbout Cycles is investing to build their flagship store and setting up franchise opportunities, and also to establish partnerships in product development.

Electric bikes are enabling more people to enjoy an enhanced cycling experience by providing clean local transportation alternative with an assistive technology.

A2BE Carbon Capture LLC – Industrial Algal Cultivation Technology
Presented by Jim Sears, CTO
www.algaeatwork.com / jimsears@algaeatwork.com

A2BE Carbon Capture is a behind-the-scenes architect and thought leader for the nascent algal biomass industry. Co-founder Jim Sears has been a featured speaker on this topic at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Bipartisan Policy Center, Electric Utilities Consultants Inc. and the Algal Biomass Organization where he also serves as Chairman of the Technical Standards Committee.

Micro-algae are found in lakes, rivers, oceans and even in soil. Algae are masters of photosynthesis and sold powered chemical production, it’s ideal source of bio-fuel. The challenge with traditional Algal cultivation systems is that they are generally built like “Open Raceway Ponds”, which have unsustainable water consumption and CO2 emissions. The key is “re-productizes” CO2 emissions.

A2BE’s core technology is scalable, low-water-consumption closed-photobioreactor algal cultivation technology that will be environmentally permit-able and highly suitable for integration with the newly evolving low-carbon fossil energy industry. Algae cultivation will have an agricultural sized footprint, but it is sustainable both environmentally and in resources. Though still in the R&D stages, A2BE’s “Closed Photobioreactors” system is designed for low water consumption and no CO2 emissions. The energy balance is 4-5 times versus ethanol which is only 1.2 times. The carbon market is marginal versus the end-product benefits.

A2BE’s algae system is also capable of enhancing the net CO2 emission performance of other biofuel processing plants and fossil fuel processes. The O2 generated by the algae system would be used for oxy-fuel combustion to produce a CO2 rich flue gas ready for sequestration. The CO2 from this would be piped to feed the algae cultivation system.

Because algae can replicate quickly, adaptations can arise and lower production. A2BE has addressed this issue by using mixed cultures and inoculation (refresh strains).

With their patent pending technology and additional intellectual property from a select group of collaborating corporations, institutions, and individuals, A2BE is expecting to go from pilot to full scale bioreactor operation within 24 months and their first carbon capture projects within 48 months.

Building Systems Insight – Critical Resource Monitoring and Analytics
Presented by Scott Hendrickson, PhD, CTO and Chris Svarczkopf, JD, VPBD
scotth@buildingsi.com, chriss@buildingsi.com

BuildingSI deliver continuous real-time visibility into the performance of key operational systems for commercial and industrial buildings and operations. Whether your facility is retail or manufacturing, BuildingSI provides minute-by-minute visibility into use of electricity, gas, water and key operating conditions such as temperature, equipment function and more. They can convert data on the use of critical resources such as energy, water, waste water, natural gas and carbon production into actionable strategic business intelligence. BuildingSI delivers the insight to configure systems such as lighting, HVAC, air handling and production processes to operate at peak efficiency for comfort cost savings and productivity.

The Analytics part of the service uses real time access to data on the resource usage, (electricity, gas, water, etc….). It can compare data from various sensors and time periods to look for patterns, correlations, consistencies, variations, etc. The system normalizes data from various sources. Results, updates and alerts can be sent to clients electronically via email, twitter or SMS. Monitoring operational systems can add value by decreasing energy costs, identifying optimal usage schedules and improving other business processes. Ownership of the data is specified in the customer agreement, but when there’s a 3rd party involved, it can make things a bit more complicated.

BuildingSI partners with energy consultants, building consultants, LEED certification consultants and building managers to provide monitoring services for customers, measuring/verifying project results, identifying new opportunities and building long-term relationships.

The hardware, installation and commissioning costs are covered either by the customer or channel partner. BuildingSI charges monthly fees or yearly contracts for their monitoring services. For clients with over $10K monthly in energy costs, they can potentially see savings from between 10-40%. The higher your energy bills, the greater the potential savings with the monitoring system. BuildingSI offers different levels of services, providing incremental customer value. They have a field-proven product with enthusiastic prospects and are targeting a multi-billion $ market that’s growing.