How It Works
Clean Energy—Good for the environment and the bottom line
Forward-thinking industry leaders are on the hunt for ways to reduce their environmental impact while also delivering solid financial performance. It’s not always an easy balancing act. But environmental responsibility in today’s society is good for business, so the search continues.
Natural gas transportation companies, cement and steel producers, and other primary industries generate low-grade heat as a by-product of their operations. That heat has been lost to the environment for years. That’s now changing; what was once thought to be waste heat is now looking like a bright green opportunity on many levels.
With ever increasing energy costs and a drive to reduce carbon footprints, the timing is right for North American industries to utilize heat recovery applications. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology is now widely available and is considered to be the best solution to turn low-grade waste heat into clean energy.
Diagram 1: Organic Rankine Cycle
The Organic Rankine Cycle uses a fluid such as a refrigerant as the working fluid. Waste heat is used to vapourize the fluid in a heat exchanger which then travels to an expander (turbine) which drives an electrical generator thus producing power, that can be transmitted to the grid. After the energy is extracted from the fluid, it is condensed to a liquid state in a condenser (usually air cooled) then pressurized by a pump to once again enter the heat exchanger and continue the cycle.
The fluid used has a low boiling temperature and is therefore capable of capturing energy from relatively low temperature heat sources.
The following industries are suitable for applying ORC technology to capture waste heat:
- Natural gas compressor stations
- Cement
- Pulp and Paper
- Mining
- Glass
- Steel
- Non ferrous furnaces
- Refineries
- Landfill gas and biomass power production
Business Model
Found Energy is a clean energy company that makes it easy to be environmentally responsible while fueling the bottom line.
We do it by capturing heat generated as a by-product of industrial processes and turn it into clean energy, sell it to utilities and share a portion of the profits with the heat provider. ORC Technology is core to our process.
Found Energy will develop, finance, build, own, operate and maintain power plants that generate clean energy from waste heat and will be the only contact for the host of the plant.
A royalty will be paid to the host for the use of the waste heat (this is our fuel). We also completely understand that we cannot interrupt our host’s operation in any way (this is a key design criteria in every project).
Internal (Aecon Companies) and external suppliers will be utilized to provide all the necessary engineering, equipment and construction services for a successful installation.
Found Energy will also contract with the appropriate utility for the sale of power and obtain all necessary permits to build the plant.
As a waste heat host our arrangement is a simple one – we pay you for your waste heat.
An alternate arrangement can involve Found Energy only providing equipment
and construction services.
Benefits of Partnering with Found Energy
- Reduce your carbon footprint and strengthen your commitment to being socially responsible
- Generate additional revenue with no capital investment or interruption to business
- Lead your industry in sustainable business practices and competitiveness
- Build pride within your organization and community
To get Found Energy working for you, all you need is an interest in profiting from waste heat and an available space on-site to house a small footprint power generation facility. From there, Found Energy handles everything including power plant development, selling power to utilities and any ongoing maintenance, which is minimal.
To learn more about partnering with Found Energy Contact Us today
Or read more About Found Energy and our credentials