Bjarke Ingels and Jakob Lange want the Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen to be a visual representation of power generation. The pair from the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund what they call the world’s first steam ring generator.
For every ton of CO2 emitted by the plant a huge steam ring will be puffed up into the air above Copenhagen. The rings are intended to be twenty one meters in diameter and be visible throughout the city. Amager Bakke is expected to be operational in 2017, burning thirty five tonnes of waste per hour and supplying at least 50,000 houses with electricity.
The project will be funded on September 13, 2015 and has already rolled past its modest $15,000 goal. Funds will go toward the third prototype for the steam ring generator. This prototype will be 2.5 meters in diameter and 5 meters tall – one third of the actual generator. This final prototype will be tested and the data used to seek final approval before the generator construction begins.
BIG is partnering with the RML Space Lab and the Danish Technical University on the project and hopes that the visual reminder of carbon emission will help citizens to think about the energy they use and the ways they use it.
This project adds a bit of art into an already ambitious and progressive energy plant. Amager Bakke already has a ski slope integrated into its roof and a glass elevator to the top of the slope that allows people to see how the energy is generated. Once the plant is running in 2017 it will be amazing to watch the steam ring generator operate.
(Images courtesy of the Steam Ring Generator Kickstarter page)