Energy-Generating Fire Pit and LED Christmas Tree Illuminate Dumbo in High-Tech Style

Despite the 20-degree Fahrenheit temperatures last night, hundreds gathered at Dumbo’s Pearl Street Triangle to witness the lighting of an LED Christmas tree powered by fire. Onlookers warmed their hands next to the energy-generating <a href="http://www.biolitestove.com/">BioLite</a> CampStove FirePit and drank copious amounts of hot cocoa donated by <a href="http://www.mrchocolate.com/">Jacques Torres</a> to fight the chill. Close to the stroke of 6:30 pm, BioLite flipped the switch (or rather connected power plugs) on their <a href="http://inhabitat.com/product-review-the-biolite-campstove-charges-your-gadgets-as-you-cook-a-meal/">thermoelectric camp stove</a> to illuminate 500 LED lights strung on a 20-foot tall tree from Vermont.

Last night marked the 8^th annual <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/2013-rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-lights-up-the-night-with-45000-solar-powered-leds/">Christmas tree lighting</a> since 2005.

The <a href="http://dumbo.is/home">Dumbo Improvement District</a> organized the holiday bash and also first approached the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/alternative-energy/">alternative, portable energy</a> company a year and a half ago.

The result of the partnership was a scaled up, 500 pound version of BioLite’s camp stove, which burns wood and coverts in into electricity.

Similar to the smaller version it can recharge phones on top of providing heat and light.

<p>This vamped up version in particular outputs 1,000 watts to power <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/smartphone/">400 smartphones</a> or a smaller grouping of devices and the tree lights.</p>

Monte MacDiarmid, who helped build the large-scale firepit, told Inhabitat it’s an approximately 200-percent scale version. The actual unit, meanwhile, took about a year to build in the backyard of a secret <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/new-jersey/">New Jersey</a> skunk works.

The main compartment spans about 700 millimeters across to store a wheel barrel’s worth of wood.

<p>The yellow segment of the device, meanwhile, contains eight <a href="http://inhabitat.com/vodafone-unveils-smartphone-charging-shorts-just-in-time-for-festival-season/">thermoelectric generators</a>, which moves heat between a hot side to a cool side through a semi-conductor to generate electricity.</p> <p>“We had to make a few little tweaks, but from a conceptual view it’s exactly the same,” MacDiarmid explained. “The cold sides of those <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/thermoelectric/">thermoelectric generators</a> have to be cooled by liquid because we can’t air cool them like the CampStove.”</p>

BioLite is also part of the Dumbo Test Kitchen project, which gives local startups small grants for works using their technology that’s beneficial to the Dumbo community.

Besides BioLite, Alexandria Sica, executive director of the Dumbo Improvement District, told us <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/diwire-bender-pensa-launches-first-desktop-cnc-wire-bending-machine-at-engadget-expand/">Pensa</a> is also in the Test Kitchen program.

<a href="http://www.flocabulary.com/">Flocabulary</a>, meanwhile, uses their educational software to partner with the local PS 307 elementary school. Sica says there will be more coming in the future. </p>

<p>“DUMBO is a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/brooklyn-tech-triangle-plan-could-re-create-silicon-valley-in-nyc/">thriving tech scene</a>,” Sica quipped. “We have hundreds of digital and technology companies here, hundreds more creative and artists, and so we’re always working to promote them.”</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.dumbo.is/blog_posts/dumbo-holiday-tree-lighting-dec-12">DUMBO Christmas Tree and BioLite CampStove FirePit</a> will be on show until December 23 every night until 8pm.</p>