All Power Labs

All Power Labs (APL) is a renewable-energy technology company based in Berkeley, California, focused on converting woody and other lignocellulosic biomass into usable energy. Its core technology is biomass gasification: organic material is heated in a low-oxygen environment to produce synthesis gas, or syngas, containing combustible hydrogen and carbon monoxide. That gas can then fuel an engine-generator to produce electricity, while the process may also provide useful heat and a biochar byproduct. The company emerged from the Shipyard, a collaborative workshop and arts-and-engineering community founded by Jim Mason in West Berkeley. The Shipyard operated in shipping-container workspaces and developed an off-grid power system after the site encountered difficulties obtaining a conventional grid connection. The community experimented with used photovoltaic panels, batteries, biodiesel-fueled generators, and biomass gasification. Mason and Jessica Hobbs founded All Power Labs in 2007 to develop this work into an educational and experimental platform for open-source alternative-energy technology. During its early period, APL promoted do-it-yourself engineering and published open designs, plans, and computer-aided-design files for Gasifier Experimenter’s Kits (GEKs). These kits supported research and experimentation in biomass gasification and helped establish the company’s identity within the maker, appropriate-technology, and distributed-energy communities. By 2013, however, the company had moved away from open-source commercialization of its newest systems and concentrated on proprietary, patent-protected products based on Mason’s gasification work. It continued to preserve and distribute selected earlier technical materials. APL’s principal commercial line became the Power Pallet, an integrated biomass gasifier and engine-generator. Early versions were offered in approximately 10 kW and 20 kW configurations. The company later concentrated on a proprietary 20 kW platform, and by late 2016 its principal product was a 25 kW Power Pallet incorporating combined heat and power and grid-tied electrical capabilities as standard features. The systems were intended for distributed generation, especially in locations with access to locally available biomass and limited or expensive grid power. APL identified energy access and energy poverty in developing markets as important application areas. The company also developed larger containerized systems. Its Powertainer platform began as a 100 kW prototype developed with support from a United States Department of Energy grant in 2012. With assistance from a California Energy Commission grant aimed at encouraging forest-fire remediation, APL developed a 150 kW version using a shipping-container-based genset architecture. These systems connected biomass utilization with forest and agricultural residue management, although the available reference material does not establish their current commercial availability. Beyond electricity generation, APL has supported biochar-related work. Its Local Carbon Network program distributed waste biochar to community-based agriculture projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, while the company continued to make information about a Biochar Experimenter’s Kit available for research into gasification-based biochar production and use. In September 2018, an APL PP30 biomass gasifier genset supplied renewable electricity at the company’s Berkeley facility for the Skysource/Skywater Alliance. That system powered atmospheric-water-generation equipment during the alliance’s successful Water Abundance XPRIZE demonstration. The available reference material reported an installed base of about 500 machines in roughly 40 countries by 2013 and approximately 30 employees in 2015. It described APL’s Berkeley premises as an approximately 20,000-square-foot former Shipyard facility containing offices, research and development, manufacturing, and production operations. Current ownership, leadership, operating status, financial performance, and present market footprint are not established by the supplied sources.

All Power Labs developed from the Shipyard, a West Berkeley collaborative workspace established by Jim Mason in 2001. The Shipyard brought together artists, engineers, and scientists in a collection of shipping-container workspaces surrounding a small machine shop. Many participants had collaborated with Mason on projects connected to Burning Man. Because the site could not readily obtain approval for a conventional grid-power connection under applicable building-code conditions, the community assembled an off-grid energy system using used photovoltaic panels, a large surplus telecommunications battery bank, and diesel generators operated on biodiesel produced in an on-site reactor facility. The Shipyard’s experiments expanded into biomass gasification as a possible source of reliable local power. Mason and Jessica Hobbs founded All Power Labs in 2007 to develop that work. In its first phase, APL emphasized education, experimentation, and an open-source culture of alternative-energy engineering. The company produced Gasifier Experimenter’s Kits and published plans and CAD files so that users could construct and study gasification systems themselves. This approach aligned the company with the maker movement and with efforts to develop decentralized energy technologies using locally available resources. APL’s technology uses high temperatures and limited oxygen to convert woody biomass into syngas, principally a mixture of combustible hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The gas can run an internal-combustion engine connected to a generator. Feedstocks described for the company’s systems include wood chips, nut shells, and agricultural byproducts, with reported consumption of approximately one kilogram of biomass per kilowatt-hour under relevant operating conditions. The process can also generate heat and biochar. When waste biomass is used and the biochar is retained or applied as a soil amendment, the overall system may support carbon-sequestration objectives, although the environmental result depends on feedstock, operating conditions, transport, and end use. In 2010, APL began manufacturing integrated Power Pallet gasifier-gensets in 10 kW and 20 kW ratings. By the end of 2013, the company had discontinued sales of the 10 kW version and stopped distributing the latest designs under its earlier open-source commercial model. It instead focused on a proprietary 20 kW system using gasification technology associated with Mason’s patents. APL continued to curate earlier designs and technical information for educational and engineering purposes. By late 2016, the company’s principal product was described as a 25 kW Power Pallet. Combined heat and power and grid-tied electrical functions, previously optional or separately configured, were incorporated as standard equipment. The company also pursued larger systems for biomass residues and forest-management applications. A 100 kW containerized Powertainer prototype was developed in 2012 with assistance from a United States Department of Energy grant. A California Energy Commission grant intended to encourage forest-fire remediation supported development of a 150 kW version. APL maintained additional programs around biochar. Through the Local Carbon Network, it distributed waste biochar to community-based agricultural projects in the Bay Area. It also supported the Biochar Experimenter’s Kit, a gasification-based retort concept intended for research into making and applying biochar. In September 2018, APL hosted a demonstration associated with the Water Abundance XPRIZE. Its PP30 gasifier genset supplied renewable electricity to three Skywater 300 atmospheric water generators designed by the Skysource/Skywater Alliance. The system also benefited from moisture released while drying the wood-chip feedstock. The alliance produced at least 2,000 liters of water within 24 hours at a cost below the competition’s stated threshold and won the $1.5 million prize. The supplied reference material reported approximately 500 installed machines in 40 countries by 2013 and a staff of about 30 in 2015, spanning engineering, manufacturing, management, sales, and technical support. It described the Berkeley site as an approximately 20,000-square-foot facility containing offices, research and development, manufacturing, and production areas. Information about subsequent ownership, executives, financial condition, and current operating status is not established here.

• 2018

  PP30 powers the Water Abundance XPRIZE demonstration

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  An APL PP30 gasifier genset supplied renewable electricity for the Skysource/Skywater Alliance’s prize-winning atmospheric-water-generation demonstration.

• 2016

  The 25 kW Power Pallet becomes the principal product

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  By late 2016, the principal product was described as a 25 kW Power Pallet with combined heat and power and grid-tied electrical capabilities included as standard.

• 2015

  Forest-fire-remediation work supports larger Powertainer development

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  A California Energy Commission grant supported development of a 150 kW containerized biomass genset intended to connect energy production with forest-residue management.

• 2013

  APL shifts toward proprietary products

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  APL discontinued sales of the 10 kW Power Pallet and moved away from open-source distribution of its newest commercial designs, concentrating on proprietary systems.

• 2013

  International installed base reaches approximately 500 machines

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported approximately 500 deployed machines in about 40 countries.

• 2012

  A 100 kW Powertainer prototype is developed

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  The company developed an initial 100 kW shipping-container-based biomass genset prototype with support from a United States Department of Energy grant.

• 2010

  Power Pallet manufacturing begins

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  APL began manufacturing integrated biomass gasifier-generator systems under the Power Pallet name in approximately 10 kW and 20 kW configurations.

• 2007

  All Power Labs is founded

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  Jim Mason and Jessica Hobbs founded All Power Labs to develop biomass-gasification technology emerging from the Shipyard’s off-grid energy experiments.

• 2001

  The Shipyard is established in West Berkeley

  [1]All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org

  Jim Mason established the Shipyard, a collaborative workspace that later became the setting for experiments leading to All Power Labs.

Distributed biomass energy and gasification equipment for local power generation, energy access, waste-biomass utilization, and related biochar applications.

• Biomass gasifier-generator system · 2010

  Power Pallet

  Power Pallet is APL’s integrated biomass gasifier and engine-generator product family. It converts woody biomass and related lignocellulosic feedstocks into syngas, which is combusted to produce electricity. Early versions were offered at approximately 10 kW and 20 kW. The company later focused on proprietary systems, and by late 2016 the principal model was described as a 25 kW unit with combined heat and power and grid-tied electrical functions included as standard. The product was positioned for distributed generation and local use of biomass resources.

• Containerized biomass power system · 2012

  Powertainer

  Powertainer is a larger-scale, shipping-container-based biomass genset platform. A 100 kW prototype was developed in 2012 with support from a United States Department of Energy grant, followed by development of a 150 kW version supported by a California Energy Commission grant related to forest-fire remediation. The platform was intended to process larger quantities of woody residues while providing dispatchable electricity in distributed settings.

• Biomass gasifier genset

  PP30

  PP30 is a biomass gasifier genset identified in connection with APL’s 2018 support for the Water Abundance XPRIZE demonstration. At the company’s Berkeley facility, it supplied renewable electricity to atmospheric-water generators. The available reference material does not provide a full technical specification or establish whether the model remains commercially available.

• Open-source gasification research kit

  Gasifier Experimenter’s Kit

  The Gasifier Experimenter’s Kit, or GEK, was an early APL platform for education and hands-on research. The company published plans and CAD files intended to let users build and study biomass gasification equipment. Commercial sales of the kits and the company’s latest open designs were discontinued as APL shifted toward proprietary products, although earlier technical information continued to be curated and made available.

• Biochar research equipment

  Biochar Experimenter’s Kit

  The Biochar Experimenter’s Kit is a gasification-based retort concept associated with APL’s biochar work. It was intended to support research into biochar production and use, complementing the company’s interest in recovering useful carbon-rich material from biomass-conversion processes. The available material does not specify a commercial launch date or current distribution status.

• 2018Water Abundance XPRIZE support

  United States

  APL provided power at its Berkeley facility for the Skysource/Skywater Alliance’s atmospheric-water-generation system. An APL PP30 biomass gasifier genset powered three Skywater 300 units, which extracted water from air while renewable energy was used for the demonstration.

  Outcome. The alliance produced at least 2,000 liters of water in 24 hours below the competition’s cost threshold and won the $1.5 million Water Abundance XPRIZE.

  Source
• Local Carbon Network

  San Francisco Bay Area

  APL’s Local Carbon Network program distributed waste biochar to community-based agriculture projects in the Bay Area, linking biomass conversion with local soil and carbon-management applications.

  Outcome. The available source confirms the distribution activity but does not provide quantitative outcome data.

  Source

• 2016

  Power Pallet capabilities are integrated as standardProduct launch

  Background

  By late 2016, APL’s principal product was a 25 kW Power Pallet intended for distributed biomass power applications.

  Action taken

  Combined heat and power and grid-tied electrical-system features that had previously been optional were incorporated as standard equipment.

  Aftermath

  The change presented the Power Pallet as a more integrated solution for customers seeking electricity, useful heat, and connection to electrical infrastructure.

  Source

• 2015

  Development of a 150 kW PowertainerProduct launch

  Background

  APL had developed a 100 kW containerized prototype in 2012 and received a California Energy Commission grant aimed at incentivizing forest-fire remediation.

  Action taken

  The company developed a 150 kW shipping-container-based biomass genset for larger-scale biomass and forest-residue applications.

  Aftermath

  The available source identifies the development effort but does not establish the product’s later commercial scale or operating results.

  Source

• 2013

  Shift from open-source commercialization to proprietary productsStrategy

  Background

  APL began with an educational and do-it-yourself model that included open plans and CAD files for gasification equipment. As its commercial activity developed, the company reassessed how it distributed its newest designs.

  Action taken

  The company abandoned sales of the 10 kW Power Pallet and stopped distributing the latest commercial plans and designs under the open-source model, concentrating on proprietary, patent-protected systems based on Mason’s gasification work.

  Aftermath

  APL continued to curate earlier technical information while focusing its commercial efforts on larger and more integrated gasifier-generator products.

  Source

1. 1All Power Labsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2All Power Labs official websiteallpowerlabs.com