Exciting prospect for the Springs:
Invention might change economic future
Colorado Springs Gazette
August 19, 2009
It’s not the sexiest story in town, but it should be.
The Colorado Springs Utilities board of directors will hear a presentation today by physicist David Neumann and Tom Black, the utility’s chief energy services officer. The men will explain the success of Neumann’s invention, a new filtration system with great promise to improve substantially the sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are coming under more stringent government regulations around the world.
Improving coal emissions usually involves massive, expensive and inefficient equipment.
Neumann’s invention, by contrast, is considerably more affordable, more efficient, and takes up a fraction of the space required for conventional clean coal scrubbing technologies.
Great ideas and inventions often go nowhere for lack of support and investment. When Neumann started out, experts told him the technology sounded great. They also told him getting it funded and tested in a power plant was something akin to a pipedream.
That’s where the Colorado Springs City Council, which doubles as the utility board, allowed the innovative leadership at Colorado Springs Utilities to change the equation for Neumann. The utility, which faces looming mandates to clean up its emissions, agreed to take a chance with Neumann. The technology, which Neumann discovered while helping develop laser technology for the United States Air Force, made sense.
Last year, Colorado Springs Utilities began doing small tests with Newmann’s clean coal invention. From the start all indications were good. Monday, CSU employees did their largest test by starting up a beta filter that is successfully scrubbing sulfur dioxide from the emissions created by a portion of the power used to turn a 131-megawatt turbine at the Martin Drake Power Plant downtown.
“The initial check looked good,” said Drew Rankin, general manager of the utility’s energy services division. “The fluids and gasses are all flowing as expected.”
Power plant filtration can make for boring discussion in normal company. But here’s where it gets more fun.
The public-private partnership with Neumann may be the greatest seed of economic development our community has seen in decades. For an investment that will total about $15 million by the end of this year, the city utility has leveraged an invention that stands to become a multi-billion industry, creating hundreds of primary jobs right here in Colorado Springs.
“This is an emerging multi-billion dollar market and Dr. Neumann stands to seize a good part of it,” Rankin said. “From an engineering and design perspective, this stands to have the impact of a major IBM facility coming to town and creating high-paying, white collar, high-tech jobs. In addition, there is likely to be a major fabrication and manufacturing component with equipment being manufactured here and sold overseas.”
If that happens, to one degree or another, it will directly benefit Colorado Springs Utilities along with the economy of the region. In return for investing in the invention, the utility will receive 2 percent of gross revenues from the first two years of Neumann’s commercial sales, and 1 percent of sales for three additional years. Utilities officials believe the savings and income provided by their investment could total $1.9 billion over the next 20 years — money that would hold down costs for ratepayers.
All should commend City Council members, employees of Colorado Springs Utilities, and David Neumann and his staff for having the courage and foresight to embark upon an innovative endeavor that may enrich our community. This is homegrown, constructive economic development at its best.
