Not really sure if you would consider this alternative energy...
Often referred to as cogeneration, the term now mostly widely used is "combined heat and power" or CHP. This means the simultaneous production, and more importantly the simultaneous use, of heat and electric power from the same device or system. Micro-CHP is simply CHP sized for the individual home.
http://www.climate-energy.com/micro-chp.asp
Jeff
Sure. I'd say you could call that "alternative" energy, since most the time, as the article states, heat energy is tossed aside and never used.
When I was considering (well, I still am) using a Lister liquid cooled diesel (running on bio or wvo) to generate electric, the first thought in my mind was to ditch the radiator, and plumb it to hot water storage tanks. That way, you'd have all the hot water you'd need for home heating. And with a heat exchanger, also all your domestic hot water as well.
Waste not, want not, eh?
This is the system I'm waiting for (probably for awhile), when the price goes down..
It uses a stirling engine, about the size of a dishwasher, and almost silent. The yacht version is often mounted under the forward bunks! Although they don't quote a price on the web, I emailed their sales guy, and he said in the neighborhood of 14K USD when it's available stateside. Burns diesel, kerosene, natural gas or LPG.
Here's another Micro-CHP 3 kw [electrical] and up to 15 kw [thermal]
http://www.disenco.com/technology.htm
Joined: 2005-09-18