BigUps: Terry Kenney

The green movement is hitting our lives almost as hard as high gas prices. Many are looking for ways to decrease their carbon footprint, reduce costs, and help save the environment. One of the underlying principles of being green is using available, natural resources to power our consumption with the least amount of harmful waste. Terry Kenney believes he is doing just that.

As he tells his story, the idea of using Portland’s port authority as a place to recycle the unused energy of massive big rigs idling into their docks kind of ‘hit him’. The concept is pretty simple, actually:

As trucks power at low speeds across plates [in the ground], they compress a tank of hydraulic fluid under the road, which in turn creates a series of pumping actions that turns a generator to produce electricity.

Terry Kenney and his Dragon Power Station

Some critics argue Kenney’s invention is no more than a transfer of power, instead of conversing it. Kenney believes, however, this his device, crafted from parts around the world, will be produce 5,000 to 7,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day—enough to power up to 1,750 homes. His ‘Dragon Power Station’ is already garnering attention in other parts of the country, and is scheduled to also be deployed in Europe at the local Sainsbury docks.

The full story is here.

I’m glad to see one person’s dream come to fruition. It gives us all hope that in order to achieve it, we must believe it.

Editor’s note: For our newer readers, we at the YBP Guide like to share great stories of African-Americans that are doing great things in the world. Our ‘BigUps’ series serves this purpose, highlighting unique achievement. If you know someone who deserves a ‘BigUp’, please contact us!