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"Business: How are businesses in your community innovating to build for the future and adapt to a changing planet?"
KGRA Converts “Waste Heat” into CO2-Free Electricity
KGRA Energy, a two-year-old venture-funded company employs organic Rankin cycle (ORC) technology to harness waste heat from industrial operations and convert it into usable, emission-free electricity that reduces energy costs and lowers carbon footprints.
KGRA is currently installing the world’s first ORC project in the pulp, paper & wood industry, at a large North Carolina lumber mill operated by Weyerhaeuser Company. The 800-kilowatt (kW) Weyerhaeuser installation will generate usable carbon dioxide (CO₂)-free electricity, NC facility, which will displace more than 9 million pounds of CO₂ each year and create 20 American jobs in the development, construction and installation process.
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On July 28th, 2011 at 10:44 am Susanna, PF Web Maven Said:
We’re huge fans of waste heat recovery here at Planet Forward! Thanks for submitting your idea.
Waste heat recovery seems like a “duh” sort of thing–power plants, manufacturing businesses, pretty much anyone with a smokestack could take advantage of this technology. So, why aren’t they?
It has been suggested to me that one reason these businesses aren’t jumping on the technology is that if a business wants to upgrade their technology they’d be subjected to additional review and regulation. So, instead of doing this, they sit on their old, polluting technology, which probably wouldn’t stand up to new regulations even with waste heat recovery.
Have you seen any good way to deal with these “grandfather” smokestacks?
On July 28th, 2011 at 12:42 pm david bryant, google Said:
This is such a simple, brilliant idea. And the business is packaged it in a really smart way, so manufacturers don’t have to lift a finger.
If manufactures are still resistant to positive change like this, despite carbon credits, free electricity and a cleaner environment the question is – what will it take?
I wonder if local people could pressure manufacturers to implement this technology, and benefit from cleaner air?
On July 28th, 2011 at 1:44 pm Philip Glucksman Said:
This is a totally unique, simple and brilliant idea concerning the adaptive use of renewable energy. Beisdes its obvious benefit regarding renewable energy, it would also have the additional benefit of making us less dependent on foreign oil which is ostensibly the stated aim of most of our politicians. The next logical step would be to give this novel idea its proper and due exposure through television, internet or print. The media establishipment will hopefully take note and cover this patently deserving concept.
On July 29th, 2011 at 12:50 pm Caterina Said:
Makes an interesting read. Let’s hope china adopt the same ideas one day. Will pass this info on to my sustainability friends. I’m on the chicken manure and nettle soup level so this is a total different ball game!
On July 29th, 2011 at 10:30 pm Heidi Kagan Said:
I like that this also has an impact on our economy by creating a company here in the United States which will provide jobs here. It is also interesting for our kids to hear about this type of electricity and how we have come a long way from the days of Benjamin Franklin’s discovery.
On July 31st, 2011 at 3:36 pm Frank Jablonski Said:
The key words in the presentation are “additional fossil fuels.” Emphasis on “additional.” The process seems to depend on fossil fuels, and thus their emissions.
Unless the source of the waste heat is renewable (unlikely), this process involves not the displacement of fossil fuels, but simply their more efficient use. In other words, it depends on fossil fuels, but disclaims all the CO2 emissions of those fossil fuels by attributing them all to the underlying fuel cycle.
The process is akin to adding something to your car engine which gets you five more miles-per-gallon, and then cleverly claiming that you could get the extra miles-per–gallon without burning any gas at all. This is, in my view, dishonest accounting. You are still burning the gas, you are just stretching it further. While this is a “good thing,” it is not as good as the video, in my view, implies.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that, if it were not for the underlying fossil-fuel cycle, and its carbon emissions, there would be no “waste heat.”
I think it is misleading to simply allocate all the carbon emissions to the underlying process when the KGRA process depends utterly on the burning of the associated fuels, and thus depends, of necessity, on the generation of the emissions.
This is not to deny the benefits. The process stretches fossil fuels further – - derives more usable energy from them, and thus reduces the overall footprint of the underlying power plants. If you want to keep relying on a system that depends on fossil fuels, it is better to use them more efficiently. I would prefer not to depend on fossil fuels, or to celebrate as ostensible “solutions,” processes that depend on fossil fuels.
If you are concerned about climate change, you may want fossil plants to be displaced, as opposed to just made-more-efficient.
On August 3rd, 2011 at 7:23 pm barry herbst Said:
a very viable plan
On August 5th, 2011 at 1:18 am RHB Said:
This is a great concept for converting lost heat, which normally floats of to the atmosphere, to usable energy. What a great use of resources which are now just wafting away. This innovation will be a substantial asset to industrial plants who now just pump heat up up and away!
On August 8th, 2011 at 8:34 am Jason Conn Said:
Seems like a no-brainer!!
On August 8th, 2011 at 8:54 am Darren Port Said:
Seems like a great idea to help improve the need for more efficient ways to generate electricity and create jobs while leveraging an existing resource.
On August 8th, 2011 at 9:08 am ASeg Said:
A great twist on a old proven technology and it makes sense for everyone.
Extract current waste heat, convert it to electricity= reduction in manufacturing costs to plant and/or increase revenues by selling leftover to grid ( all with no capital expenditure!)
On August 8th, 2011 at 12:50 pm Craig Parker Said:
What a great idea.
On August 8th, 2011 at 1:07 pm Saul Simon Said:
Smart & efficient ways to create electricity , create jobs while leveraging an existing resource
On August 8th, 2011 at 2:51 pm louis Said:
Great Idea and a great company!!!!!!!!!!!!
On August 9th, 2011 at 3:04 am steve miller Said:
I think this is a truly ingenious idea and would like to see this process widely adopted throughout the US and the world.
On August 9th, 2011 at 8:15 am Paul Newman Said:
These are some good people with a great idea. Wish we had more like them.
PWN
On August 9th, 2011 at 9:01 am janet Francis Said:
Great Idea!
On August 9th, 2011 at 1:07 pm Estelle Glucksman Said:
This seems like a great plan that would benefit our planet. Keep up the good work. We need more people like this with good ideas.
On August 9th, 2011 at 8:33 pm Sam schmell Said:
Brilliant idea! I am totally intrigued and excited to learn more!
On August 10th, 2011 at 7:52 am GEORGE BIAVA Said:
Brilliant! Makes so much sense for us, our children and their children. The kind of forward thinking we could use in Washington.
On August 10th, 2011 at 12:21 pm Mitchell Glucksman Said:
This country has become great and at the forefront because of new and innovative ideas and developments and this plan seems to fit right into that mold.
On August 15th, 2011 at 7:49 am Molly Raskin Said:
This is a truly innovative idea that has the potential to make us a leader in the creation and use of cost efficient energy that also reduces our carbon footprint. Brilliant!
On December 16th, 2011 at 5:37 pm Christophe Tulou Said:
Great concept.
On December 16th, 2011 at 5:45 pm Michael Cowden Said:
Had not heard of waste heat recovery. The process of recovering this energy however is not explained at all.
On January 11th, 2012 at 11:25 am Susanna, PF Web Maven Said:
So, what’s the difference between what you’re doing at KGRA and these guys? http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fuelcell-energy-delivers-one-billion-kilowatt-hours-of-ultra-clean-power-generation-2012-01-11