Icarus RT is one of three new startups to participate in the Shell GameChanger Accelerator program powered by NREL (GCxN). GCxN provides promising cleantech startups with technical resources to accelerate product commercialization while de-risking investment.

This article is a continuation of our series about various topics in renewable energy. Waste heat recovery systems collect excess thermal energy that would otherwise be exhausted or vented into the atmosphere. Some heat recovery systems cool hot exhaust from manufacturing processes, capturing excess heat and use it for power generation. What makes this possible is the use of organic working fluids with low vapor points and with high molecular densities. One of the major environmental concerns today is the increasing shortage of usable water. Industry such as lumber mills, utilities, steelworks, cement plants and many more other facilities typically overuse this vital resource. In order to produce materials and goods, each manufacturing process needs heat. The fastest and least expensive way to cool down processes is with the use of water, more specifically, vaporizing or literally, steam generation. Good news: Most of the fast moving water that flashes to steam can be captured, run through a turbine generator, generate electric power, condensed and feed back into the process. A condensing turbine uses the steam to recover energy. Bad news: There are about 2,300 gallons of water being wasted for every megawatt hour of energy being produced. Fresh water is one of the world’s scarcest natural resources. In the US, thermoelectric power accounts for 39% of all water consumption. That consumes more than 200 million of gallons of water each day. The majority of that power is used to cool down heated power production equipment. Why use water to cool down systems and equipment when for more than 50 years, there has been a water free technology that can be used. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) originated from geothermal power and popularized in the late 1960s. It works on the principle as a traditional steam cycle with two notable exceptions:

1. Instead of water, ORC uses a contained organic fluid.
2. Does not need water for cooling.

ORC captures exhaust and cools it with the use of an environment friendly refrigerant which moves through a closed loop system, turns from liquid to steam and back to gas. The process generates continuous power, is totally self sustainable and with a lifespan of 20 years. Oil fields, cement plants, paper mills, steel mills are few of the large industrial facilities that both use waste heat and great amount of electricity. Through the use of waste heat recovery, the operations of these easily reduced their demand for traditional water cooling steam plants. This saves water by millions of gallons each year. The end product is clean energy that feeds back into the plant. In today’s economy, business owners must make business decisions that help the environment and actually help their businesses as well. One way to succeed is doing more with less. Using less means paying less. That is what waste heat recovery is all about. It helps equipment to use less resource while it saves business money. Across the United States, more and more industrial and power plant operators have worked with project developers on waste heat recovery systems. There are more than 25 completed projects already in the US alone with many more ongoing projects being developed.

Understanding Renewable Energy is not difficult. The first thing to understand is that Renewable Energy and its sources are basically all around us. This energy is found from the sun, wind, oceans, lakes and rivers. It is also found from plant growth, from the heat within the depths of the earth and even from disposed waste. With the help of today’s latest technology, we have begun to harness these sources of energy by converting them into electricity, transportation fuels and the heating of our homes and water. This process will eventually replace conventional fuels which may some feel impact climate change. Moving Water. Generating electricity from moving water is renewable energy. An example of this is the hydroelectric dams in use for over 100 years. Modern technology has been developing ways to create energy and power supply coming from tidal waves. The earth’s water cycle is in constant motion and can help solve energy problems. In its pure form a renewable energy. Wind. The kinetic energy from wind and air is also renewable energy. For many years, this is used in windmills and sailboats while these days it is also used to generate electricity. Wind energy is potentially able to supply power demand by more than 30 times. Wind energy is actually directly affected by the topography of the land. This means that the tops of the hills and mountains, shorelines, open plains and offshore are the best places for wind farms. Heat within the depths of the earth. Massive renewable energy source is found from geothermal heat from within the earth. This is a very reliable source since it is there all the time. Intermittence and power interruptions may not be as much compared to other forms of renewable energy, like solar and wind. Modern technology is on its way in enhancing these geothermal systems. It is potentially able to supply the world’s power demand by 1.5 times over. Solar energy. Heat and light from the sun is another massive form of renewable energy. This energy from the sun alone is the main source that creates the other forms of renewable energy. All growing living things depend mainly from the energy of the sun. Solar energy is potentially able to supply the total world’s power demand by more than 4000 times over. All living things. Basically all living things, including soil and water can all be sources of renewable energy, if conservatively managed. Biomass is collectively made from all living things and the wastes they produced. Regardless of which form best fits the place you plive in, renewable energy is a sure way to go. Understanding renewable energy and switching to it will definitely promote the green living balance and harmony in our environment, not to mention that it will also generate jobs when you begin to create and maintain new renewable energy infrastructures. Nowadays, everyone should be aware and understand the sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy provides clean, efficient and practical power. Understanding renewable energy lets you choose your initial steps in good energy for a better life. We offer more materials about this and we will be glad to share them with you as you venture your way to enjoy the benefits of a sustainable change grow every day. This is just the start of the series of article on understanding various topics of renewable energy. Watch out for more! Other Related Articles: What is Renewable Energy? Types of Renewable Energy California Renewable Energy Overview and Programs   Photo Credit: LiezelMCastro