Select your language

Project to convert waste heat into electricity

United States. A new project led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) seeks to efficiently capture waste heat and convert it to electricity, potentially saving California up to $385 million a year.

With a $2 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC), Berkeley Lab is partnering with Alphabet Energy to create a cost-effective thermoelectric heat recovery system to reduce both energy use in the industrial sector and electricity-related carbon emissions. ICF International estimates that this system could save California 3.2 million megawatt-hours a year in power, while increasing electrical reliability. The funding comes from the CEC's Electric Program Investment Charging Program (EPIC), which funds clean energy innovation to reduce pollution, foster economic development, and meet the state's climate goals.

Industrial plants, such as power plants, cement plants, mining and manufacturing facilities, and oil and gas operations have more than 763 megawatts (MW) of waste heat electricity generating potential in California, and the national potential is approximately 15,000 MW. However, most current thermoelectric materials are limited by several factors, including high cost, low efficiency, and the inability to operate reliably at temperatures above 400°C.

The Berkeley lab's new project, co-led by Prasher and Vi Rapp, a mechanical research scientist in the area of energy technologies, is working to overcome these barriers. In collaboration with Alphabet Energy, they will develop a cost-effective process to create an advanced thermoelectric material built from silicon nanowire arrays.

- Publicidad -

Thermoelectrics collect exhaust heat from engines, furnaces and other waste heat sources and convert it into useful energy without generating further greenhouse gas emissions. Commercially available thermoelectric plants achieve less than 5 percent efficiency in converting heat into electricity. The technology has already seen some market traction in the oil and gas and automotive industries.

Alphabet Energy is a Hayward, California, startup that launched in 2009 using nanotechnology licensed from Berkeley Lab. They are developing advanced thermoelectric materials based on silicon nanowires with conversion efficiencies of 10 percent or more and the ability to operate at temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius.

Source: Berkeley Lab

Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Duván Chaverra AgudeloEmail: [email protected]
Editor Jefe
Jefe Editorial en Latin Press, Inc,. Comunicador Social y Periodista con experiencia de más de 12 años en medios de comunicación. Apasionado por la tecnología. Director Académico del Congreso RefriAméricas.

No comments

• If you're already registered, please log in first. Your email will not be published.

Leave your comment

In reply to Some User
Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Colombia. With more than a hundred attendees and the participation of six high-profile exhibitors, Building Automation Days by KNX LATAM, Colombia edition, established itself as the most relevant...

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Canada. In response to the growing demands of the fire protection industry, Armstrong Fluid Technology announced the expansion of its Vertical-In-Line pump line with the addition of the new 5x4x10PF...

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

United States. Greenheck announced the addition of the RV-220 to its line of dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS), a solution that responds to the growing demand for equipment with greater outdoor...

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Brazil. Embraco announced its official entry into the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) market following the acquisition of the specialized company Xecom, and the launch of a new line...

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

Ecuador. An intensive week of technical and commercial training brought together key players in the HVAC sector in Quito and Guayaquil, thanks to the joint initiative of GRUPO SIGMAN and...

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

Mexico. The event returns this year to Monterrey with an unprecedented edition. The exhibition, dedicated to air conditioning, ventilation, heating, refrigeration and filtration solutions, promises...

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

United States. Fujitsu General America announced the launch of its new AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handling Unit (MPAHU), designed to provide greater application flexibility by easily...

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

The HVAC system installed in the building of the Faculty of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, was selected as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025. The...

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

The HVAC system project carried out by MultiFRIO for the company Concord in the La Lima Free Trade Zone, in Cartago, received the final prize in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025, a...

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

The air conditioning project of the Auditorium Building and the Technology Center of the new campus of the Santiago de Cali University was chosen as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA...

Free Subscription
Remember Me
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
DO YOU NEED A SERVICE OR PRODUCT QUOTE?
LASTEST INTERVIEWS
SITE SPONSORS










LASTEST NEWSLETTER
Ultimo Info-Boletin