Southern Methodist University is running on heat. It's recycling energy by using a thermoelectric generator. The machine generates electricity by using heat produced by using energy — manufacturing processes are a good example — to boil liquids. The boiling liquids turn into steam, which turns a turbine with generates power.

Dallas-based SMU is testing a generator from ElectraTherm, a firm specializing in recovering waste heat. Considering that approximately 50 percent of all fuel burned in industrial processes becomes waste heat, ElectraTherm’s generators offer an impressive opportunity to save energy from what has long seen as a necessary lost. Even better, this system is emissions-free. There may be some emissions remaining from whatever plant produced the heat in the first place, but over all, it seems that ElectraTherm’s generators provide for impressively clean power. Furthermore, calculations seem to imply that a company buying one of these generators could recoup the purchase cost within four years. After the purchase price is covered, the cost per kilowatt hour would be less than one cent.

And the financial savings? Wow! Sure, SMU will have to buy fuel for whatever mechanism from which they are harvesting heat. But they get full use of that fuel, and then get to use it again! Theoretically, if they use energy from waste heat in a process that creates more waste heat, they’ll get multiple uses out of it — although I assume that they’ll get diminishing returns. It’s a very efficient system, though.

Photo courtesy SMU