Lighthouse project dealing with waste heat

In industrial processes, valuable heat – waste heat – is lost. There are basically two methods to counteract this: avoiding waste heat and harness it. The former involves the use of special insulating materials, for example, while the latter uses technologies for subsequent utilisation. The technical prerequisites for successful implementation are in place, but what is needed is the targeted communication strategies that attract the attention of decision-makers in companies to unused potential. To change this, ways of avoiding and harnessing waste heat will need to be explained through real-world examples.

This includes, in particular, the funding offered for such projects.

Technology that is demonstrated on a real object is particularly convincing. For this reason, dena is carrying out a total of ten lighthouse projects on avoiding and harnessing waste heat. In other words, projects that send a positive message to the target group due to their exemplary implementation and excellent results. Anyone who would like to implement one of these lighthouse projects in their own company can apply. Companies need to fulfil certain requirements to do so. They need to have untapped waste heat potential, have already made specific plans for optimisation and agree to the publication of the results from the lighthouse project.

In addition to the positive message that is sent to industry and commerce, this approach has a further advantage. Companies benefit from free consulting and process support from dena, from help with applying for suitable subsidies, from economic advantages through the realisation of energy efficiency potential and, last but not least, from an excellent impact in terms of advertising. The endeavour to become a lighthouse project itself automatically causes companies to take a close look at the issue and possibly implement initial measures to combat waste heat losses.

Experience gained from successful waste heat projects has shown that the potential for CO2-free heating supply through the use of waste heat in heat networks is gigantic. Particularly energy-intensive processes generate large quantities of waste heat, for which there is no further operational use in the companies themselves. It thus lends itself to use by third parties, for example in the municipal heating supply. Already anchored in the climate protection plans of many municipalities, the implementation of such projects often has a high chance of failing in practice. For example, the necessary players, funding, technical knowledge or experience may be lacking. dena has set itself the task of meeting this need with targeted and funded offers of support.

Are you a climate protection manager in a municipality or company which would like to take advantage of dena’s offers of support in the development of a concrete project for external use of waste heat? If so, please contact us so that we can identify your specific needs and assess the possibilities for cooperation.