The Solutions Explorer lets you create alerts that match your needs. You can create several alerts and you will receive a notification each time a new Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions is labelled and matches your filters.
Your Search Alerts will show up here.
Sign in to create alerts for your filters and search terms.
Sign inDon't have an account?
Sign upMarch 4, 2024
Wienerberger AG
Pontigny
Wienerberger AG, the world’s largest brick producer, partnered with Eco-Tech Ceram to recover waste heat from six kilns to supply six dryers at its Pontigny site in France. Using Eco-Stocks., waste heat is captured, stored, and recycled, enabling 100% waste heat usage for drying roof tiles, eliminating natural gas consumption, and achieving carbon-free drying.
This solution is expected to save 2,100 MWh annually and reduce CO2 emissions by over 450 tonnes per year. With a carbon footprint of 350 tCO2e and a 20-year lifespan, the system offsets its impact in just over nine months. Wienerberger avoided upfront investment by purchasing decarbonised heat “as a service,” representing annual savings of €105,000 at a natural gas price of €50/MWh.
Industries worldwide, from cement, steel production and oil and gas to data centres, lose substantial amounts of heat during their processes. In France alone, recovering this industrial waste heat could generate enough energy to power 1.6 million homes, highlighting the significant potential for energy savings.1
Despite the clear benefits of waste heat recovery, more than 3,100 TWh of recoverable heat—equivalent to 50% of total energy inputs—remains untapped globally. Leveraging this potential could have a major impact; utilising waste heat for energy could globally save up to €140 billion annually, comparable to the EU’s natural gas imports.2 Much of this waste heat, generated at temperatures above 40°C, could be repurposed for district heating networks.3 However, only 9% of global heating needs are currently met through district heating, with 90% still relying on fossil fuels.4
With its Eco-Stock® solution, Eco-Tech Ceram will allow us to recover waste heat from the six Pontigny kilns and to use this waste heat in our dryers. This will allow us to avoid any gas consumption in the dryers and to save 480 tons of CO2 per year.
Robert Lacroix, Director of Sustainable Development, Wienerberger France
The EcoStock® thermal storage unit recovers waste heat from furnaces, which can lose up to 70% of their energy. A fan draws fumes into a ceramic-filled container, capturing heat up to 600°C and storing up to 3 MWh per cycle, which can be reused for drying, preheating, and hot water production.
Share
The information set out above, is solely for the purposes of information and the Solar Impulse Foundation does not provide any guarantee as to its authenticity, completeness or accuracy. This information does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy into, transact or to enter into any agreement with any of the parties or persons mentioned above. Potential investors or interested parties are solely responsible for their investment or business decisions and for performing any due diligence required by the circumstances. The innovator has asserted ownership of the intellectual property rights for images, videos, and content showcased above, affirming full and unrestricted usage rights, and has provided explicit permission for the Solar Impulse Foundation to publish such information designated as "public" in the application form.
