Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the energy sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising combined heat and power solutions.
Heat Map: 5 Top Combined Heat & Power Solutions
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of onsite energy generation. For this research, we identified 136 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing innovative CHP solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 136 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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ClearCell Power – Next-Generation Fuel Cells
Combined heat and power systems enable the onsite generation of electrical and thermal energy. The technology improves energy efficiency as it requires less fuel while eliminating transmission and distribution losses. It further minimizes the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Energy startups are working on CHP fuel cells that utilize a range of sources, including natural gas, coal, hydrogen, and biomass.
ClearCell Power is a US-based startup that offers turnkey alternative energy solutions. The startup’s PureCell system combines energy production with heat recovery. The fuel processor converts natural gas to hydrogen to feed the fuel cell stack. Then, an electrochemical process combines hydrogen and air to produce electricity, water, and heat. As a result, the solution’s heat recovery system heats water in the facility for different purposes.
H3CHP – Biomass Gasification
As fossil fuels rapidly deplete, energy startups are exploring biomass as an abundantly available and renewable source of energy. Through a series of steps, the gasification process converts solid biomass into a combustible gas, also known as syngas. The process has net-zero emissions as biomass is a carbon-neutral fuel. Gasification solutions are also retrofittable in ovens or boilers to provide heat for agricultural or industrial applications.
Canadian startup H3CHP develops cogeneration solutions for the energy industry. The startup’s biomass gasification technology converts wood waste, biosolids, solids, and other organic feedstocks into syngas. For greenhouse owners, the solution provides an ideal disposal method for biomass that also generates carbon dioxide to enhance crop growth. The residual heat is captured and redirected to the site for heating or processing needs.
Enexor Bioenergy – Bioenergy
For regions outside of the power grid, onsite energy generation is the only way to access electricity. Bioenergy is often an economically viable and sustainable solution for communities with easy access to plenty of biomass such as agricultural waste. Energy startups are developing different methods to obtain bioenergy from biomass. For the areas covered by the grid, it offers energy resilience, as well as heat for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Enexor Bioenergy is a US-based startup that provides onsite, renewable energy solutions. The startup’s Bio-CHP system uses organic waste and plastics to provide continuous renewable energy. The solution also directs waste heat to produce hot water or steam, replacing fossil fuel use for onsite boilers. The system is designed to operate in humid and salty environments, typical of island nations.
Lerta – Industrial CHP
In traditional power plants, the electricity generation process produces a lot of heat, which is mostly lost. Combined heat and power solutions capture this heat to convert it into thermal energy. For example, thermal energy is used to heat the building or facility. Moreover, the process is fuel neutral and works with both renewable and fossil fuels. Industrial CHP provides economic feasibility and environmental benefits to energy plants.
Polish startup Lerta develops diverse renewable energy solutions. The startup installs CHP units for industrial clients, enabling savings in energy costs. Lerta also provides automated energy management and virtual power plants to improve energy efficiency and frequency stability. The startup also offers residential solar power plants to help homeowners offset rising energy prices.
RESET – Micro-CHP
Micro-CHP is a small power plant suitable to power a single home or a small building. Often, these systems integrate with solar energy in hybrid onsite power generation systems. Micro-CHP reduces energy bills and makes the grid more robust. Moreover, it reduces carbon dioxide emissions in multiple ways. For instance, it provides heat energy that substitutes for heating/cooling systems that produce the most emissions in many residential buildings.
RESET is an Italian cleantech startup that provides solutions for biomass technology. SYNGASMASRT, the startup’s lineup of micro-CHP systems, convert woody biomass into syngas. The thermoelectric devices use pyro gasification, a process that involves high temperatures and low oxygen. The startup diverts the syngas to fuel standard internal combustion engines that generate both electricity and thermal power. Further, the plug-and-play solution is emission-free, safe, silent, and eco-friendly.
What about the other 131 solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 combined heat and power solutions showcased above are promising examples out of the 136 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
