Jonathan Rhone
President and CEO Nexterra Systems Corp.
Jonathan Rhone is President and CEO of Nexterra Systems Corp. a leading developer and manufacturer of biomass gasification systems. He has an extensive track record with energy and technology businesses including Dome Petroleum, Amoco Canada and The Delphi Group. He serves on the Board of the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA), the BC Premier’s Technology Council and Chairs the BC Clean Tech CEO Alliance. In 2009 he was also honoured as the BCTIA's Person of the Year.
Advanced Biomass Gasification For Heat and Power Applications
Nexterra Systems Corp. has developed and commercialized a fixed-bed updraft biomass gasification technology which converts wood residuals (i.e. bark, municipal trimmings, clean construction debris etc.) into synthesis gas, also known as “syngas”. The first generation of this technology has been successfully demonstrated in thermal applications in Canada and the United States. Since 2006, Nexterra has been collaborating with GE Energy’s water and gas division to develop a new high efficiency biomass-fuelled combined heat and power system (CHP System) that combines Nexterra’s syngas gasification and syngas conditioning technologies with GE Jenbacher engines. The system will be capable of providing very high net efficiencies and low operating costs compared to conventioanal biomass power systems. This new CHP application represents a paradigm shift away from large, centralized biomass plants to smaller and more efficient biomass plants ideally suited for counties and municipalities. The application development is being conducted at Nexterra’s Product Development Center, where a 250 kWe Jenbacher engine is operating on conditioned syngas. The University of British Columbia will host the first commercial demonstration of this application. The proposed presentation at the Advanced Energy 2010 Conference will provide an overview of this advanced gasification technology, with a special focus on the gasification-to-power solution with GE.