Airthium, a clean technology company based in Austin, Texas, has developed an innovative heat engine designed to replace fossil fuels and decarbonize industrial heat and power generation. The company has plans to deploy its technology to address a $138 billion per year business opportunity in the clean energy sector. The company is currently raising from retail investors to help scale the solution, and seeing substantial traction.

Led by a team of six PhDs and advised by the former CEO of General Electric Company Renewable Energy, Airthium has developed an award-winning clean energy engine that delivers record efficiency, low costs, and zero carbon emissions. The company’s goal is to first decarbonize industrial heat between 160 and 500°C (3% of global CO2 emissions) and then electric power generation (30% of global CO2 emissions) using the same heat engine technology.

Airthium’s heat engine offers a game-changing solution for industrial heat and power generation, as it can efficiently convert electricity to heat and vice versa at temperatures of up to 550°C. The company plans to first target the $13 billion per year industrial heat market, followed by the $125 billion per year seasonal storage market, by providing a clean, low-cost alternative to fossil fuels.

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The company’s initial focus will be on industries with significant demand for heat in the 160-550°C segment, such as paper, food and beverage, chemicals, and automotive. Airthium has identified its heat pump technology as a viable solution to replace gas-fired boilers and dryers, leading to significant CO2 emission reductions.

In the long term, Airthium aims to provide 100% clean electric power at scale by using its heat engine as the core of a seasonal energy storage system. This storage system, which combines CO2-free synthetic ammonia combustion and pumped heat energy storage (PHES) in molten salt or sand, offers a storage capital cost 100 times lower than lithium-ion batteries and thousands of hours of storage duration.

This revolutionary seasonal energy storage system has the potential to fully replace fossil fuels as a backup power source, eliminating the majority of CO2 emissions produced by fossil-fired power generation. With the widespread deployment of Airthium’s technology, solar and wind energy can become the dominant electricity sources by 2050, despite the rise in electricity generation due to electrification.

Airthium’s experienced team, backed by investors and industry support, is currently working on building the first 250°C (1022 °F) prototype, set to be completed in 2023. The company plans to commercialize its heat engine technology and partner with leading industrial companies to make a significant impact on the global clean energy market and fight against climate change.

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This article Y-Combinator Backed Airthium's Breakthrough Engine Aims to Replace Fossil Fuels and Decarbonize Industrial Heat and Power Generation originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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