Larson Design Group Employee to Appear on The History Channel
Robert “Chip” Beam, CADD Specialist at Larson Design Group and developer of a wood powered car, will appear on The History Channel’s “Apocalypse PA” Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10 p.m. EST. The November 16 premiere of the cable reality series features Pennsylvania residents who are preparing for “The Apocalypse” and follows a Bethlehem man (Frank Belcastro) who teaches his family self-reliance by making things by hand instead of using modern conveniences. Beam is called upon by Belcastro to understand the basics of the wood powered car.
Weeks ago Beam’s two-door 1989 Mercury Cougar established a world land speed record for a wood powered vehicle at the World of Speed 2010 event in Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The Cougar is completely powered by burning wood pellets manufactured from timber debris.
The record-breaking sedan is not Beam’s first vehicle to run on wood as its energy source. In 2005 Beam added a wood gasification system to his 1988 Isuzu Trooper after he became concerned by conventional fuel availability following Hurricane Katrina. Beam began research that led to the creation of his unique energy system. He founded in 2006 the New York-based company Beaver Energy, which researches and develops different types of energy from organic solutions.
“For us it was about using a waste product; it was about waste reuse, using wood as a fuel is ‘found energy’,” explains Beam. “Any organic material can be pelletized. Grass, leaves, and crop residue can make good fuels; they make good material to run through a pellet machine. There is no need to dry at all because the pellet machine reduces moisture to an adequate level. Anyone can create fuel with a pellet machine and organic waste products.”
Read an interview with Chip Beam at www.ldgblog.com
Larson Design Group is a growing, multi-disciplined architectural, engineering, and surveying firm, providing innovative design solutions for the private and public sectors. Our staff has diverse knowledge in environmental systems, architecture, surveying, site development, structures, transportation and inspection. Headquartered in Williamsport, other offices include Selinsgrove, Bloomsburg, Lititz, and Bethel, Pennsylvania, and Corning, New York. LDG is ranked in the Top 500 Design Firms of 2010 by Engineering News Record (ENR), and in the Top 250 Firms by Architectural Record. These honors are awarded to A/E firms that demonstrate the highest levels of performance. LDG was selected for the second consecutive year into the 2010 PSMJ Circle of Excellence and was also ranked at No. 46 of ZweigWhite’s Top 150 Hot Firms for 2010. At LDG, each client’s vision is made real.
For more information, please email us at marketing@larsondesigngroup.com.
