Yale University’s School of the Environment conducted a study that revealed 70% of the energy produced globally is wasted as “waste heat,” with most of it being a byproduct of running large industrial plants. This waste heat is considered the most significant energy source on the planet, as stated by Joseph King, one of the program directors for the US government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Israel-based Luminescent has developed a unique technology that captures waste heat, which is full of CO2, and converts it into electricity. The electricity can either power the facility at a lower cost or be sold back to the electrical grid.

There is a known need to capture wasted heat, and several projects are in place to address it. For example, Facebook announced a plan to channel the waste heat from its center in Denmark to warm nearly 7,000 homes, while a Danish project uses heat from a crematorium to warm local homes. However, most of these projects focus on large facilities with significant generators, where producing and storing zero-emission electricity is more cost-effective.

Luminescent is the first company to address small power generators that comprise most of the market. Its super-efficient waste heat engine will be available as a pilot by mid-2023, with sales starting in 2025. Recycling waste heat into energy reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and lowers CO2 emissions. For example, a study in the UK found that diverting waste heat from the country’s largest power stations to warm homes and offices could prevent the release of about 10 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Luminescent’s waste heat engine is unique because it uses a heat-transfer liquid (HTL), which flows in a nozzle and is mixed with pressurized air or other gas bubbles. The liquid has a higher thermal energy density than any gas for a similar volume. The bubbles expand isothermally, accelerating the HTL and converting it into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy operates a generator on top of the engine shaft. Luminescent’s isothermal process reduces the size and doubles the efficiency of the engine compared to other operations while providing up to 70% more power than existing setups. The Luminescent system can store the resulting energy for up to 20 hours.

Luminescent, which recently raised a $7 million seed funding round led by Grove Ventures, is targeting industrial operations in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and South Korea.

For more information please contact Ms. Veshala Gajaraj, Trade Officer at

Veshalakshe.Gajaraj@israeltrade.gov.il

 

 

 

Source: Israel21c