I think this is terrific news: Leonardo Corporation and Hydro Fusion (E-Cat Licensee for Northern Europe) are offering a free 1 MW E-Cat plant (low temperature) to a customer who is willing to operate it as a pilot project. The only thing the customer pays for is the heat the plant produces — which should be cheaper than any heat they are paying for at the moment.
A press release published by Hydro Fusion today states:
Hydro Fusion is looking for a Pilot Customer for the first ECAT 1 MW Plant to operate in Sweden. The customer will only pay for the energy produced by the ECAT, i.e. Hydro Fusion and Leonardo Corporation will take responsibility for all associated costs including: the plant itself, installation and any transportation costs. In return the Pilot Customer agrees upon
- Scheduled Installation time by late fall 2013.
- Hydro Fusion and Leonardo Corporation to use the Pilot Plant as a Showcase where external customers can be introduced to an ECAT 1 MW in operation.
The price tag on these plants is normally 1.5 million USD, and from what Rossi has said, so far only two have been sold. The customer who agrees to take the plant must be willing to allow external customers to come and see it in use. This will of course be a very useful marketing tool for Andrea Rossi, and a working, visitable plant should go a long way to convincing hesitant customers of the reality of the E-Cat.
My guess is that this will be a popular offer. There is little risk involved here, since there are no upfront costs involved, and if the plant doesn’t work it will surely be fixed or removed (Rossi has mentioned a 2 year warranty in the past).