What is Waste Heat?
Waste heat is an untapped, sustainable resource that goes largely underutilized today. Simply, it is the excess heat produced most commonly in power generation and industrial processes. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat must be produced when converting a temperature difference into mechanical energy.
What does this mean? This means waste heat is inevitable. In fact, almost all industrial processes and heat engines see over 50% of the input energy lost as waste heat. This heat is often vented to the atmosphere or dumped into bodies of water. During a time where global demand for energy is exploding, this is not only an immense waste of resources but is also a significant contributor to global warming.
Fun Fact – If harnessed, the waste heat from industrial processes in the United States can provide 10 gigawatts of emission-free electricity, enough to power over 10 million American homes and save U.S. industries over $3,000,000,000 annually. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, capturing this heat could generate as many as 160,000 jobs. Plus, since most power generation and industrial processes operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – the integration of heat recovery technology can provide a reliable baseload power supply. Waste heat to power systems allow companies to increase efficiency while generating their own emission-free electricity – which can be used to reduce operating costs or sold back to the grid to act as an additional revenue stream.
Another study shows that the United Kingdom could prevent over 10 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by using the waste heat from their largest power stations to warm homes and infrastructure. The reduction in emissions is equivalent to taking 2,000,000 cars off the road for an entire year!
Next Generation Waste Heat Recovery
Did you know that over 90% of waste heat in the United States is at too low a temperature for traditional turbine systems to economically capture? With recent advancements in ORC technology, small-scale applications can now reap the same benefits previously only seen by mulit-megawatt powerhouses. The ability to capture this lower temperature heat opens opportunities across all industries.
With the implementation of ORC systems such as the ElectraTherm Power+ Generator or Active Cooler, your business will benefit from several awesome bonuses such as…
// Reduced engine de-rate, which leads to more up time and revenue.
// Reduced parasitic load, which increases effective horsepower and energy efficiency.
// Reduced energy costs, from generating your own clean electricity with no additional fuel combustion.
// Reduced emissions, from utilizing your waste heat and becoming more self-sufficient.
Fun Fact – Air conditioners and radiators account for approximately 10% of global energy consumption and demand is predicted to triple by 2050. In this aspect, a high efficiency cooler such as the ElectraTherm Active Cooler provides an excellent solution for industries making use of commercial radiators to expel heat greater than 60°C. The net-zero power cooler utilizes the latest waste heat recovery technology to fulfill all your system’s cooling needs while generating profitable power.
That is only the beginning. With ElectraTherm, it is simpler than you think.
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About ElectraTherm
ElectraTherm by BITZER Group provides world-class waste heat recovery solutions by utilizing the Organic Rankine Cycle along with proprietary technologies to convert low-temperature heat into clean power. ElectraTherm’s simple and effective solutions generate clean electricity, boost efficiency, reduce energy costs, and decrease emissions – with no additional fuel consumption.
The combined advantage of ElectraTherm’s engineering along with the value of being supported by BITZER, the world’s largest independent manufacturer of refrigeration compressors which boasts close to 3,500 global employees and average annual sales approaching $1 billion, allows the ElectraTherm team to dedicate all their energy to the advancement of waste heat recovery technology in the marketplace.
ElectraTherm’s Power+ Generator is a heat to power generator, converting waste heat into clean electricity and usable thermal while offsetting the cooling load. The Active Cooler acts as a cooling to power generator, using the same cycle to provide self-powered cooling while generating electricity. Both of ElectraTherm’s solutions reduce emissions and energy costs while providing a baseload power / cooling supply. Taking advantage of waste heat is not only profitable, but practical. Allowing companies to benefit from a more circular economy while achieving sustainability goals.
To learn more about ElectraTherm, click here.