FireChill is leading the way in heat recovery from exhaust gases and is pleased to have overcome the technology challenges presented by the microturbine’s susceptibility to back pressure.

Simon Clothier, FireChill’s CEO commented “This is a promising development for us and marks another milestone en route to launching our CCHP PowerChill product to a global market. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Capstone and look forward to being able to offer the ultra low cost cooling solution for sale through their worldwide network. Capstone’s specialist distributors have been asking for this product for some time and will in due course develop numerous, free cooling applications.”

“We are also pleased to have stolen a march on our competitors whom we know for a fact have been attempting to pair small-scale gas-fired chillers with microturbines for the past decade with limited success. The unique, dual-firing capability of FireChill’s unit makes it even more competitive as the chiller can now operate 24/7 with or without exhaust heat.”

Jim Crouse, Capstone’s Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing said “This is good news for Capstone. We like the Firechill approach to free cooling and believe it will be of great interest to our market both as a retrofit and as a new CCHP packaged solution. FireChill has our full support.”

Carbon emissions from gas-firing are significantly reduced when compared with other fossil fuel sources. The use of gas-firing in the PowerChill brings clear environmental benefits; magnified many times by recycling the exhaust flue gases to deliver the cooling component.

The PowerChill family of products, which include this new heat capture technology, will be available for commercial sales later this year.

FireChill is delighted to announce that today it has successfully directly attached one of its 17kW (5RT) absorption chillers to an IVECO diesel generating set and delivered ultra low cost cooling utilising the engine’s exhaust gases, using a specially designed heat recovery exchanger.

Simon Clothier, FireChill’s CEO commented “This is a truly momentous occasion and a landmark in our company’s history. We have now proven the ALT500 platform from which to launch our ultra low cost cooling proposition. The market for free cooling is enormous with millions of gensets already installed around the world, and many more added on a weekly basis, all potentially able to take advantage of this new technology. What makes the FireChill ALT position even stronger is its gas-fired integral dual mode capability which means round the clock cooling even when the genset is idle.

Simon Clothier continued, “It will be a few months before completion of field testing and certification. We also have a number of conversations to complete with the major genset manufacturers as we believe this will be of significant interest to them and their global distribution networks.  Early market indications are very encouraging indeed and we expect to have the ALT500 available for volume sales in Q2 2012.”

This technology breakthrough also paves the way for FireChill’s other significant developments; capturing waste heat from Capstone microturbines; solar cooling where the heat transfer will be delivered directly via the same technology platform, without the need for further intermediate components or processes. Further announcements in this area will follow in the New Year.

Initially the ALT500 will be coupled with gensets in the 50kW to 200kW range with capacity to deliver between 17.5kW (5RT), utilising a single ALT, and 70kW (20RT), via a number of MultiPack configurations.

FireChill, the green cooling and heating company, with the help of its UK manufacturing partner, Newburgh Engineering, has secured a further round of development funding. The money will support the continued expansion of its base technology and provide a bridge to future commercialisation.

Simon Clothier, CEO commented “This money is a welcome boost for FireChill and gives the team the opportunity to take its ground-breaking cooling and heating technology to the next stage. We will use the money to build further test units and place them across the globe in challenging operating environments. This process has already commenced and early indications from Test Partner ecOenergy of the Dominican Republic are extremely promising.

He continued; “In house testing of the products under development point to a step change in performance and it is exciting that we are now able to develop them further. Having secured this interim step, our next mission is to secure a significant level of funding to expand the integrated family of FireChill products and bring them to market via a global manufacturing and distributor network.” “We have received a promising initial response and, based on conversations thus far, there is serious interest amongst a number of international organisations. The key to unlocking the opportunity is a vision for the future, a properly funded Technology Roadmap, fully-tested product and a receptive market.”

Vince Middleton Managing Director of Newburgh Engineering further commented “We are strong advocates of the FireChill technology and believe it has a bright future which is why we have chosen to continue to invest our time, money and resource. We are very happy with the development progress of the product, have a well-defined programme of work and are looking forward to shipping further test units into the field. We are confident Simon and the team will be able to secure the next funding round and very much look forward to what that means for FireChill”

FireChill, the global green cooling company announced today the launch of a range of energy-efficient, gas-fired heat pumps which draw free heat from either the air or the ground. Available in outputs ranging from 35kW to 100kW, the units are ideal for low cost space heating in both residential and commercial environments. Approved for outdoor installation, they are self contained and can be powered by propane, natural gas, LPG or light oil.

FireChill’s existing and proven absorption technology platform combined with a range of specially developed components, each designed to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump, leads to a highly competitive product that outperforms the market on both efficiency and price. A fully integrated family of products will follow the entry level AHP 40 and eventually include reversible units which can deliver both heating and cooling from the same package.

Howard Atkin, FireChill’s Head of Technology Development, said; “Gas-fired absorption heat pumps are the future for domestic and light commercial heating. First we had coal fire with an efficiency of 2%, followed by gas fire with an efficiency of 50%, then gas central heating with an efficiency of 60%, and the condensing boiler with an efficiency of 90%.The AHP 40 makes the next leap to a fuel use efficiency of over 150%. Our heat pump will reduce both carbon emissions and energy bills by a third since up to 40% of the output of the AHP 40 is effectively renewable energy”.

Simon Clothier, FireChill’s CEO commented, “We are tremendously excited about these new planet-friendly, clean tech products; FireChill is now in the fortunate position of being able to provide its customers with choice – green heating as well as green cooling. Our technology team has given us a world beating product and our UK manufacturing team can now deliver at competitive prices for today’s cost conscious marketplace. The new heat pumps contain 80% of the components currently used in the chillers which means we can pass on the majority of those volume savings to both our heating and cooling customers. We are also delighted to be entering the UK market for the first time with a home-grown, British product. The AHP 40 is only the beginning: we have designed and commenced a challenging Technology Roadmap programme and I look forward to making further announcements which extend both the heating and cooling FireChill family”.

The AHP will be available exclusively through FireChill accredited distributors from mid-2011 onwards.

FireChill, the global green cooling company, is delighted to announce that it has received the coveted International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) 9001:2008 accreditation for the manufacture of its refrigeration and integrated products.

ISO 9001:2008 is an internationally recognised standard which specifies requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS). It is the most demanding of the globally recognised ISO quality assurance standards and provides a framework for globally recognised elements of quality management, enhancing an organisation’s ability to operate in a systematic, efficient, and effective manner.

Derby based Moody International carried out the audit. Following the audit the Audit team stated; “The quality management system developed for Firechill Manufacturing is of high integrity and resilience and is a testament to the calibre of the manufacturing engineers engaged within the business.”

Vince Middleton, Managing Director of FireChill Manufacturing, commented; “We are delighted to achieve this accreditation which underlines our continued commitment to sustaining an agile, process-based and quality-focused manufacturing facility. Quality culture in manufacturing is the only way to secure a long product life, which is something that every customer wants. This certification reinforces our pledge to customers to continually monitor and improve our products and produce them to the highest possible standard.

“Next in the accreditation pipeline is ISO 14001:2004 for our environmental management system, which we are confident we will receive later this month. As an environmentally conscious company producing green products this will provide important recognition of the high environmental standards that we have set ourselves.”

Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com ) (Nasdaq:CPST), the world’s leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems and FireChill, the global green cooling technology company, have signed an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement which will see both parties working to produce ammonia absorption chilling packages, powered by microturbines for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) applications.

The ability of FireChill’s cooling products to recover the energy from the exhaust heat of the microturbine and effectively deliver free cooling, combined with FireChill’s development of the PowerChill product, make this an exciting development for both companies. PowerChill is a pre-engineered, factory-tested packaged solution providing uninterrupted cooling, heating and power. Skid mounted or containerised, it integrates the power source (Capstone C30 or C65 microturbine), and FireChill ALT500 chillers into a package that can easily be installed on-site.

In this environmentally conscious world, there are long term benefits from using gas as the fuel source for the microturbine. The green benefits are magnified many times by recycling the exhaust heat. In addition, by extracting the heat from the exhaust, there is less heat expelled into the atmosphere, reducing the effect of global warming.

PowerChill is highly versatile and suitable for a wide range of applications opening the doors to new markets for both FireChill and Capstone distributors. When used with a condenser, PowerChill is the ideal quad-gen solution, capable of making up to 2,500 litres of water a day from the air. As a flexible, portable system in a box that provides both cooling and power, it is the perfect solution for construction sites, off-grid environments, data centres and many more.

Mark Gilbreth, Capstone’s Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer commented, ‘Capstone is delighted to be working with FireChill on future technology rich projects. We have already demonstrated that our products provide clean and reliable energy sources and can build sustainable energy development. By working with FireChill to deliver broader applications, we will be able to demonstrate more uses for the microturbine and help reduce carbon emissions. This is just the kind of cooperative development we seek that can so easily lead to breakthrough technology. The projects already underway with FireChill have the potential to open up large markets, including the previously untapped rental market.’

Simon Clothier, CEO of FireChill, added; ‘Capstone is a company with a great set of products for us. They have a super-efficient turbine and we have a way of turning their waste heat into cooling without further energy input and at low or no cost. We can do this in a variety of ways and in a range of environments. This agreement with Capstone will allow us to explore what is really possible and we can now work smarter, faster and together to bring a more diverse set of usable, relevant green applications to market.’

FireChill is delighted to announce the appointment of Feature Media as its video partner. Feature Media is an award-winning, Leeds-based, full service video production company with extensive technical and creative expertise.

The addition of video to FireChill’s marketing mix comes as Release 3 of its website is set to launch at the end of this month. Release 3 features a fresh design concept and a host of new additions including an interactive forum and the ability to add video. Over the coming months FireChill and Feature Media will work together to produce innovative video content adding a new dimension to the FireChill site and taking the FireChill proposition to the next level. Plans are already underway for a viral campaign and a range of videos to bring FireChill and its products to life.

Simon Clothier, FireChill’s CEO, commented: “They say a picture paints a thousand words. If that’s the case, then a video must tell a story. Video is such a dynamic medium, and one which has quickly become part of our everyday life. It is important for FireChill to provide accessible information in a variety of formats for both customers and distributors; the addition of video highlights the encouraging progress we are making in helping others understand more precisely what it is we offer and the benefits we can bring.

Feature Media brings a wide range of creative ideas to the table, including augmented reality, and we are delighted to have them onboard. I look forward to making further announcements about web video in due course.” Ian Jackson, Director at Feature Media, commented: “We are delighted to be working with FireChill who are a very dynamic, exciting and technically innovative company. We look forward to helping them visually communicate their products and benefits to their global audience through high-end moving image and other emerging digital technologies. Keep a close eye on the FireChill website throughout 2011.”

Hot off the press is FireChill’s October Newsletter featuring all the latest news including SkyChill, tech team update, FireChill’s new video partner and a sneak peek of the new website. It is available to download here

Enough sunlight falls on the earth every hour to meet the world’s energy demands for an entire year. Until now solar-powered systems have long been considered out of reach for small and medium-sized enterprises, due to the high capital cost and large footprint, often the size of a football pitch, the solar collectors require. With the advent of new micro solar collector technology and SkyChill’s ability to harness that thermal energy, solar-powered systems have become an accessible and affordable reality.

More than one billion people, 16% of the world’s total population, live in areas with a DNI rating of sixor more. DNI (direct national irradiance) is a measure of sunlight intensity and availability. A DNI score of six is sufficient to drive micro collectors which in turn power FireChill’s dual-mode, heat-activated absorption chillers. FireChill and ecOenergy are jointly exploring ways to connect solar collectors to absorption chillers backed by critical know-how. A variety of innovative, flexible solar cooling solutions will emerge fromthe venture, supported by ecOenergy’s extensive solar collector system design, installation and commissioning experience.

Simon Clothier, FireChill’s CEO, commented: “Originally, I had thought it would be two years before a solar solution became a reality for FireChill. This new approach, along with FireChill’s technical development expertise, has changed the game and means we can now rapidly bring solar supplement solutions to life. We offer a truly genuine alternative, because we can deliver a dual-mode chiller system which enables round the clock chilling – when the sun goes down we seamlessly switch to gas-firing.

We still have development and testing to carry out, but as of today we are confident we will have a market-ready product at the start of 2011. Personally, I am delighted to be working with ecOenergyand their MD George Matsumoto, who brings a wealth of solar installation experience to this partnership. The arrival of our second outstanding global brand, SkyChill, is an exciting development and brings us an outstanding global platform from which to launch our solar offering. The design team at Beautiful Minds have done another terrific job.”

Click here to read the SkyChill brochure

Hot off the press is FireChill’s September Newsletter featuring all the latest news including FireChill in the Caribbean, the new corporate brochure launch and the latest appointments to the Technology Team.

The newsletter is available to download here