Hope from Athens found in Cold Fusion

On the heels of the riots and buildings burning, I landed in Athens to visit Defkalion and was able to see a demonstration of their test set-up for the upcoming seven testing groups. I was also impressed by the team working with the technology that could help bring remedy to Greece, Europe, and the world.

Here I am standing next to the Hyperion at Defkalion Green Technologies, February 13, 2012.

by Sterling D. Allan
Pure Energy Systems News

Coming back from S. Africa where I saw a 5 kW fuel free generator in operation (story pending about this technology), I changed my return flight to go through Athens to meet the Defkalion Green Technologies group and see any prototypes that they might be willing to show me.

For a decade now, I have been searching the planet for exotic free energy technologies that can bring us clean, renewable, practical, dependable, and affordable energy in a distributed manner -- freeing us from our dependence on fossil fuels, the grid and all the control and pollution that comes with it. I have been of the conviction that the emergence of such a technology could revolutionize the planet, empower individuals (literally and figuratively), boost the economy, and help facilitate the emergence of a more peaceful, responsible, freedom-based civilization.

Being away since Friday, and not paying attention to the news, I wasn't aware that Athens was in the middle of violent demonstrations and burning some 20 buildings until I was an hour away from landing in Athens and read about the chaos in an email.

What timing!

I then forwarded that email to my Free Energy News newsletter with the preface comment: "After my visit, I hope I can write a story: Hope 'from Athens', to help dispel some of the angst."

Having now visited Defkalion, which is located not far from Athens, I'm pleased to report that I can say affirmatively that the Greek company, Defkalion, does indeed provide hope for not just Athens and not just Greece, and not just Europe, but for the world!

I'm going to be moving them up from position 5 to position 3 in our Top 5.

Defkalion's 5-45 kilowatt modular heat reactor is not yet a product you can go out and purchase, but it is getting close to the market. It will provide competitively-priced thermal energy, but with very low fuel costs for the nickel and hydrogen used in the reaction chambers that will last for six months of continuous output without refuelling.

In the coming few weeks, they will be having at least seven different groups come in to test their device, beginning with the Greek government next week. The results from each group will be published. Each group will have 48 hours to test the device and a control to which they can compare it. See the Defkalion press release about this upcoming testing.

They showed me the experimental set-up -- running, producing heat. It includes a control chamber and an active reaction chamber. After the two are run simultaneously -- one with the low energy nuclear reaction (aka cold fusion), and one without -- showing that the low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) system produces at least 20 times more heat; they will then switch the reaction chambers, removing the nickel and hydrogen from one (cleaning it out to make sure there are no residual elements), and adding these ingredients to the other chamber, which previously was the 'control' or 'blank' chamber; to prove that the data remain the same. They will also show that some gamma radiation comes from the reaction chamber of the LENR system, as evidence that a low level nuclear reaction of some kind is indeed taking place (though not on a dangerous level to those operating the test). The final product will be fully shielded to prevent emission of stray radiation.

Each group coming in to perform these tests will be able to use their own measurement equipment. They have been given the specs of the types and sizes of probes needed. They will be given 48 hours to run their tests.

Pointing to the graph emerging on the computer from the data being collected, John said that each one of the blips on the line were reactions taking place; and that the company is able to control how many reactions take place and their magnitude. They said that is something that will be demonstrated during the test with each of the seven groups.

They explained that the "low energy" of the name "low energy nuclear reaction" refers to the amount of energy required to get a nuclear reaction to take place -- not to the amount of energy produced as a result. Usually, nuclear reactions take a significant amount of energy to be instigated (triggered). But apparently Defkalion (and others [there are several groups pursuing this]) has figured out a way to do this quite simply and affordably.

Now there can be such a thing as a home nuclear plant that is safe, clean, and affordable.

In addition to affordable, distributed power, imagine the boost this will give to the economy as new jobs begin coming online several months from now. Even if the jobs and sales are still a few weeks or months away, depending on what country you're in, the hope that can come from realizing that a solution is on its way is worth a lot in itself.

Defkalion is planning "very soon" to announce the first 18 licensees that are authorized to manufacture and distribute the technology in their respective countries, with an exclusive contract for those regions. Each license costs 40.5 million Euros. Many of those licensees are well under way in procuring the necessary permitting and other requirements for launching a production plant. Each factory is designed to be able to manufacture 300,000 units per year. The factory is pretty much like a franchise, where Defkalion will provide a blueprint for not just the technology but also the factory layout and operation.

Their product will be the Hyperion (pronounced "high-pee-ree-un" [they nearly gagged when I told them I thought is was pronounced Hyper Ion -- "yikes!"]). The name hearkens back to a Greek legend of a man who was thought to be father of the Greeks, similar to the Noah's Ark story.

The Hyperion contains nine reaction vessels, each producing 5 kW of heat. Whether you just want 5 kW or 45 kW, or any amount in between, you will purchase the same unit. If a person only wants 5 kW, then the reaction vessels will rotate one after another, until all reactants are used up. So the duration could be as much as 4.5 years (each vessel reactants are designed to last 6 months). But that doesn't take into consideration the inevitable loss of hydrogen. They agreed with me that this is yet an unknown -- how long the vessel will actually remain charged and ready to go.

They have not yet firmed up a price for the Hyperion. But once they do, the licensees will be required to stay close to the same price, especially in neighboring markets, like in Europe.

In addition to the 5-45 kW heat system, Defkalion is also in the process of negotiating with companies to tackle specific applications, such as marine, transportation, utilities, etc., which may require larger systems up to 5MW, or larger; for which their commercial partners will obtain the rights to the manufacturing and distribution of that application worldwide.

They have nearly accomplished all the requirements to go commercial, having completed the reactor engineering, achieved approvals, and addressed security. They still have a few things to secure in their IP.

But as for their IP strategy, they realize that it will only be a matter of time before the technology is reversed engineered and someone else comes out as a competitor. They hope to be able to maintain the lead for a long time. Any competitors who reverse engineer the publicly-available technology are going to require time to engineer it, and Defkalion is already 3-6 months ahead of what's publicly available.

They have already done the safety testing required for such devices, subjecting them to things like fire, earthquake, hot, cold. Newcomers will yet have to jump through those hoops.

Furthermore, they will benefit substantially from the branding and respect that will come from being the first to market, which will benefit them for years to come. And they intend to stay on the cutting edge by being open to developing new breakthroughs that come along, though for now they are committed to focusing on the LENR technology until it is established in the market.

Also, Defkalion realizes that the need is so great worldwide, that it will take a long time before competitors will be stepping on each other's toes substantially in the marketplace. There is plenty of room for many players.

Nevertheless, for a level of safety, to protect their intellectual property, Defkalion has engineered a self-destruct mechanism so that if someone begins tinkering with the device, it will self-destruct, preventing detection of the proprietary components, thus buying them additional time to establish their "first to market" branding in this sector.

When I assess a technology's viability, one of the things I weigh heavily is the business capability of the group and their ability to work well together. In this regard, I would rank Defkalion very high. I observed a great camaraderie among them. There are a lot of strong-willed people in their group, but they are able to give each other respect so that no one's ego gets in the way. Several of them have been working together as friends and associates for many years in various capacities. They like to say: "95% of our success is our team."

In addition to the obvious tasks of manufacturing and distribution, a licensee will also do power surveys for potential customers to see what kind of a set-up they need. Then the Hyperion will be programmed accordingly, and installed by a trained technician. The reactants in the chambers will also need to be replaced by technicians.

Here are some other miscellaneous things I learned during my visit today:

Defkalion has 27 people presently involved in their headquarters (where I visited) and their lab.

Their lab is located elsewhere.

Their primary product is "heat". Their business model is arranged around that. Others can figure out how to put that heat to good use.

The reaction chambers are able to go as high as 900 degrees Celcius stably.

The reaction begins at around 450 ºC.

Nickel melts at 1453 ºC.

They will use oil to transfer the heat from the reaction chamber to where it can be used.

Alexandros Xanthoulis, the CEO, who was one of the primary people I interfaced with, told his group the other day: "We've been through the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Steel Age, etc. Now it's time to introduce the Nickel Age."

What better place to introduce it than in Athens, Greece -- even as Athens teeters on the brink? Could this keep it from toppling?

Postscript

I should give just a little more context for my writing of this story.

I've got a flight to catch back to the states at 5 am, with a taxi coming at 2:30 am (Greece time). From a personal point of view, I should have gotten some sleep tonight; but instead I chose to work on this story to get it out there. I'll sleep on the plane.

Furthermore, in priority of time, I should be working more on the S. African fuel free generator story. But the reason I chose to first do this Hyperion story is due to the events unfolding in Athens.

Here I was in a country in meltdown mode. I didn't know if I would have time to compose a story that evening before I left, and the message of what was right in their own midst could really help ease the anxiety in the country -- hope is on its way and nearby.

When I went out to grab a bite for dinner (Defkalion had prior appointments or they would have taken me to dinner; in fact they had to cancel two other appointments as it was, in order to meet with me), I walked by a group of younger people milling about outside an establishment (some kind of party). I pulled up a chair, stood on it, and started saying, "May I have your attention, please. I would like to tell you about some hope that you have for Athens."

But then two security guards came up to me and escorted me away because I was interrupting a party. When I told them briefly what I was going to say, they looked at me like I was some kind of idiot and walked away.

I nearly decided to take the (in retrospect, shallow) attitude, "Let Greece burn, then," but I realized that I shouldn't let that single experience jade me. They had no clue about the significance of what I wanted to say. That's okay...others will.

The American Revolution was won by a mere 3-5% of the population that cared enough and were brave enough to get actively involved.

Hank Quits

I should also mention that Hank Mills quit over this story. He wanted me to comment on some of the stuff regarding Andrea Rossi, asking where the technology came from, etc. I told him that I thought it was a worse travesty that Rossi was being impossible for anyone to work with, whether it be Defkalion, NASA, National Instruments, Ampenergo, or whoever. He drives everyone away, even though they want to be amiable.

I don't know where Defkalion got their technology. They claim to have developed it independently, but I have a hard time believing that some of what they learned from the Rossi experience didn't end up in their product.

However, what is more important?
- Giving credit to an inventor who refuses to work as a team?
or
- Getting the technology to the people by working as a team to make it happen?

I favor the latter. Hank favors the former.

So he left PES.

I wish he would stay, but for him, this issue is a show stopper. I guess in that way he's like Rossi: he'd rather be right and alone than give in a little and work as a team. Hence, once again, interpersonal conflicts (40%) become the most predominant obstacle that impedes the progress of free energy technology, far more than any other obstacle: getting the technology right (20%), finances (20%), men in black (10%) [I'm not quite sure what to ascribe that last 10% to, maybe closed mindedness, or other obstacles that we typically have to be overcome to get to market.].

The U.S. Constitution would have never been signed and ratified had the Founders not compromised some. They gave us an amendable document so that as people mature (or the opposite), it could be molded to fit the people where they are at.

I'm not saying that industrial espionage is acceptable (if there is any of that involved here). But if given a choice, I prefer to support something that is most likely to benefit the most number of people in a positive way. Not that the end justifies the means; but nobody is perfect, and sometimes compromises have to be made in order for progress to take place.

If there is someone else out there who might take Hank's place (in your own unique way), let me know. Based on his departure once before, I don't expect he will come back. He's on "Rossi's side." I'm for whoever is trying to help free energy move forward, including competitors. There is plenty of room for many players in this field, and there will be for years to come. Heaven knows we need this -- yesterday.

Hanks Last Comments

The following was received by Hank and posted just minutes after we first linked to this story from our news.

Who obtains the credit or glory for the world's first robust Ni-H cold fusion technology is not my primary concern in this situation. Although it is very important to see Rossi get the credit he rightfully deserves, the most important issue in my opinion is if Defkalion developed their technology in an ethical way. Due to the issues surrounding their breakup with Rossi and the comments of their President to NyTeknik, it is not clear to me if the Hyperion is truly an original technology, or a copy cat of Rossi's E-Cat. It could very well be a radically different technology utilizing fundamentally different catalysts, or it could just be Rossi's "secret sauce" with an extra dash of salt or pepper, so to speak -- which would be an outright travesty.

Before Sterling visited Defkalion I urged him to try and obtain two things Defkalion had not provided (or at least not publicly) -- evidence of working reactor cores, and evidence their technology is unique and not utilizing Rossi's catalysts or other trade secrets. It seems like Sterling obtained evidence of working reactor cores. I'm actually GLAD to hear that. However, as far as I know, he did not obtain any evidence that Defkalion's technology was truly developed from scratch -- without using information gathered after figuring out the contents of an E-Cat's reactor core.

Since there is -- at least in my mind -- some question about the originality of the Hyperion technology, I do not think PESN should "cheer lead" Defkalion. In my opinion, if there is the possibility that a company has committed industrial espionage, we need to hold off with our support and cheering. Instead, we should wait until we are provided evidence no wrongdoing took place. Again, we have no (zero) proof Defkalion is guilty of anything whatsoever. The statements of Defkalion's President and the overall situation are simply very mysterious, and adds too much possible doubt about the originality of the Hyperion.

Sterling disagrees with me, and desires to start cheer leading Defkalion. I would be all for that, if they had provided him evidence that their core technology (what takes place in the reactor core of the system between the nickel, hydrogen, and catalysts) is not just a copy of Rossi's E-Cat. However, as far as I know they did not. Since he is now providing such support for Defkalion, I must leave PESN. I can certainly tolerate other cold fusion technologies (in addition to the E-Cat) coming onto the market, because competition is a good thing. But I cannot support any organization (including PESN) that gives support to a competitor of Rossi's that could potentially -- again there is zero proof of this -- be using his trade secrets without permission or authorization.

For the record, I would like to thank Sterling for allowing me to write for PESN over the past year. He has been consistently honest and straightforward with me. In my opinion, he is an individual of good character that is sincerely dedicated to the advancement and proliferation of free energy technologies. He has sacrificed more to this cause than I would have been willing to (especially since he has a family with four children), and he deserves the continued support of our community. I know of no one who is working harder to push for a better future for all humanity.

I know I have been head-strong at times, but I've done so out of trying to stick to my convictions. I'm not a perfect person, and I'm FAR from always being correct. I appreciate Sterling tolerating the quarks of my personality, even when I may have been wrong. Even in this case (where we have a strong difference of opinion) I appreciate his openness and directness.

Please do not allow anyone to twist my departure from PESN into anything it is not. The only issue of contention with Sterling Allan and myself is PESN's new found support and cheerleading of Defkalion. There are no other conflicts that exists. He is willing to overlook potential (again no proof) industrial espionage by Defkalion for the sake of the planet as a whole. I do not, because of my sense of loyalty to Andrea Rossi, and my opposition to possible unethical conduct by any company. That's it. There is nothing else.

My hope is that PESN will continue to be the top source of news and information about cutting edge, exotic energy technologies. Please continue visiting PESN and PESWiki.

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Hope from Athens found in Cold Fusion

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