In a statement, Michaud said AVEtec successfully tested a 13-foot-wide power plant prototype in 2009 and that the startup would use the Breakout Labs grant to build a bigger version in collaboration with Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario.

FORBES: Peter Thiel Funds Effort To Tap Tornado Power To Generate Electricity

The company has been operating a prototype plant in New Zealand capable of generating 16, 000 gallons of carbon monoxide ethanol a year.

FORBES: LanzaTech Gets $55.8 Million To Convert Carbon Monoxide To Fuel

The prototype system is run by a set of computer codes, rather than plant personnel.

CNN: Today/Tomorrow - Helping nuclear plants keep their cool