Tokyo, August 30, 2001 --- Honda
Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that it has developed a new small cogeneration
unit designed for household use. A practical test program will begin in
October in collaboration with city gas companies including Osaka Gas Co.,
Ltd. The goal of the test program is to confirm the feasibility of marketing
the new unit commercially within the 2003 fiscal year.
The new cogenerator is powered by "GF160V", a natural gas-powered engine
developed exclusively for this purpose. Using Honda's unique sine-wave inverter
technology, the dual-purpose unit realizes an electrical power generation
of 1kW and heat output of 3kW, making this a highly efficient source for
high-quality and consistent power, hot water and heat supply. Combining
electrical and heat generation, the overall heat efficiency reaches 85%.
Coupled with the use of natural gas as a fuel, the cogeneration unit is
likely to reduce CO2 emissions up to approximately 20%*.
The new cogeneration unit is one of many examples illustrating Honda's commitment
to environmental issues - including the development of cleaner gasoline
engines, the promotion of alternative energies through extensive research
and development of natural-gas and fuel-cell vehicles, as well as the total
elimination of industrial waste for landfill from the company's production
facilities. This same philosophy has led to the development of the new household
cogeneration power product where the company has aggressively used clean
energy technologies and concepts.
| * |
Based on
Honda's comparison of the new unit with a combination of power generation
by the thermal generation method and hot water supply through a gas
hot water generator. |
Note: This information is related to pre-sales testing in Japan only.
 |
| Small Household Cogeneration Unit |
Projected system diagram
Major Features of the Honda Small Household Cogeneration Unit
- Highly efficient power and heat generation, using natural gas (city
gas grade: 13A), reduces CO2 emissions.
- The three-way catalyst and O2 feedback control reduces NOx emissions.
- The application of the multi-pole sine-wave inverter power generation
technology ensures consistent, high-quality electrical power supply.
- Overall heat efficiency, combining electrical and heat generation,
reaches 85%.
- The operating noise of the cogeneration unit is comparable with that
of a household air-conditioner compressor.
Major Specifications
| Fuel: |
Natural gas (city gas grade: 13A). |
| Engine: |
GF160V. |
| Engine configuration: |
Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder OHV. |
| Displacement: |
163cm3. |
| Power generation: |
Multi-pole sine-wave inverter. |
| Power generation output: |
1.0kW. |
| Heat generation: |
3.0kW. |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): |
580 x 380 x 880mm. |
|
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August
30, 2001
