Send this article to a friend: May 15 2014

Using wood to generate electricity and heat without burning it. Lloyd Tanner demonstrates with a working model of a device that he cobbled together in his Clayton, New Jersey garage that he says could be a viable alternative to oil and coal fired boilers.

The friction heater uses powerful springs to press old oak 4X4s against a rotating metal wheel turned by an electric motor. The wheel soon becomes a spinning hotplate that instantly produces steam from water, yet the wood does not burn.

Placed in an airtight chamber so the wood will not ignite, you aren't burning the wood, you are wearing it out by friction and in the process produces plenty of heat for steam. Four pieces of wood will run his machine for a month. Temperatures go over 500F for instant steam.