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PWRE specializes in economically sized installations. I predict
that these smaller installations will be hugely popular. Since PWRE's
systems are modular as well as relatively small, they can be made
using mass production techniques -- certainly not possible in the
very big installations. This translates to systems that can be sold
at lower prices, & can be readily shipped to almost any location
at modest cost. In addition, the modular approach allows for both
rapid system installation, & the ability to easily expand capacity
at any given site by adding another unit.
Throughout the world, there is a trend toward privatization of
both water & power systems. This trend should make PWRE's system
even more popular, because smaller private groups can afford PWRE's
smaller size system far more readily than they can afford the big
installations.
Another important aspect is that private groups are not obstructed
& frustrated by bureaucratic impediments -- the big installations
are largely done by governments, & getting any governmental body
to act with anything near the efficiency of a private corporation
is almost impossible. A water plant in California would require
56 permit approvals.
Industry observers have predicted that substantial growth will
occur only after a dramatic reduction in both capital & operation
costs. PWRE's systems appear to fulfill both of those goals, so
I predict PWRE will grow a lot faster than their competition. PWRE
indicates that current large scale RO plants produce water at about
$0.85 to $1.00 per cubic meter (about 300 gallons) with deteriorating
water quality & rising maintenance costs over the life of the plant.
PWRE predicts that it will be able to deliver water from its plants
by year end at a cost of $0.75 per cubic meter, with a target of
$0.52 per cubic meter within 18 months. The size of the markets
should expand with the lowering of the initial plant costs & their
very competitive water costs.
Product
PWRE calls its system the "H2Okw(TM) Seawater Desalination System."
It is a non-metallic vapor compression system. A 100 ton per day
system was manufactured, shipped, & installed in Malta in early
October 1999 for several weeks of testing & certification by Malta's
Institute of Water Technology in accordance with the testing standards
of the World Health Organization (WHO) & the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
On 12/10/99, PWRE received Malta's preliminary report of impressive
water quality results from its system.
The current standard for water quality by the WHO is 1,000 ppm
of dissolved solids. The EPA standard is 500 ppm, the European Union's
is 200 ppm. The water PWRE produced from sea water tested much lower
(6 to 12 ppm).
On 1/11/2000, PWRE completed its water quality certification of
the H2Okw(TM) system at Ghar Lapsi in Malta. All necessary requirements
of WHO, U.S. EPA, & European Union water quality standards were
met or exceeded. The quality of the drinking water produced by PWRE's
system from sea water was so excellent, well below 50 parts per
million of total dissolved solids, that testing for residual quantities
of many elements & compounds was deemed unnecessary.
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The tests were conducted by the Laboratory Division of the Institute
of Water Technology of Malta, with analysis & assessment by Richard
Morris & Associates of Glasgow, Scotland.
The very basic technology used in PWRE's system is called Mechanical
Vapor Compression Distillation (MVCD). It is a mature technology
perfected over the last 50 years. Several thousand seawater desalination
plants using this basic technology are in operation throughout the
world. While PWRE utilizes this proven technology, it has improved
upon that technology in terms of reliability & economy. It has added
the elements of lower cost production through specialization in
mass producing smaller modular systems, green power generation equipment,
& state-of-the-art process control.
Alternate Energy Source
On 12/21/99, PWRE formed an alliance with STM Corporation (STM)
of Detroit. It provides PWRE with exclusive worldwide rights to
STM's external combustion Stirling engine technology for use in
perpetuity, initially with desalination systems. Rights to further
uses will be developed on a case-by-case basis.
The STM external combustion Stirling engine is capable of running
on a wide variety of fuels from natural gas to diesel to solar &
biomass energy. It is a clean, highly efficient, silent engine which
will allow PWRE to desalinate at a lower cost than competing desalination
technologies.
PWRE president Joseph P. Maceda stated: "These engines will be
available in the summer of 2000 and will thereby give us "fuel cell"
performance without waiting for fuel cells to become economically
viable." I did research on Stirling engines while taking my mechanical
engineering degree. The engine I tested was a laboratory model --
a far cry from the sophisticated commercialized engine created by
STM Corporation in Detroit. I can attest to the fact that a Stirling
engine runs relatively silently, because the external combustion
Stirling engine I worked on at university was quite a bit more silent
than an air compressor, which in turn is more quiet than an internal
combustion engine.
STM, at www.stmcorporation.com, displays a solar driven engine
funded by the DOE. Variations of this engine have had several hundred
million dollars in research funding provided by major corporate
partners.
Management
Ms. Gloria Rose Ott is chairman. She is chairman & president of
RapidTech, Inc., & held a presidential appointment from 1994 through
1999 to the Board Of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC), an organization that facilitates the $3 billion/year
participation of U.S. private capital & skills in the economy of
developing nations. She was founding chairman & president of the
Manufacturing Technologies Institute, a national industry led initiative
to rebuild the U.S. economy through agile manufacturing factories.
Joseph P. Maceda is founder & president. He is a recognized expert
on hydrogen fuel cells. He was founder of H-Power of New
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