Converting industrial waste heat into electricity

The EU project “Heat4Energy” aims to develop thermomagnetic generators to convert low-temperature waste heat and bring it to a marketable level.

There is currently a shortage of effective technologies to recover unused waste heat from data centres, food or paper industries and convert it into electricity, reports the German Federal Institute for Research and Testing of Materials (BAM), which is testing new materials for magnetic thermoelectric generators as part of Heat4Energy. Thermomagnetic materials and components are manufactured to ensure efficient transfer and conversion of waste heat into electrical energy.

The performance of these specially designed materials will reportedly be proven through on-site trials. The goal of Heat4Energy is to develop and validate three demonstrators, and in addition, PhD students will be trained to become experts who will advance the development and implementation of electricity generation from waste heat in the future. Thirteen universities and research institutions from six countries are participating in the project, in addition to three industrial companies. (CST)

Federal Institute for Research and Testing of Materials BAM