Facts about recycling energy
Energy recycling provides clean power
Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy studies suggest energy recycling could provide 40% of U.S. electricity needs — twice what we now get from nuclear power.
- One-third (65,000 megawatts) would come from waste energy recovery, which is 100% clean, fossil-fuel free energy
- Two-thirds (135,000 megawatts) would come from CHP.
That’s 200,000 megawatts of clean power.
Energy recycling slashes greenhouse gas emissions
The two thirds of U.S. greenhouse emissions comes from the production of power and heat:
- 40% from generating electricity
- 26% from generating heat
Studies indicate that energy recycling could slash greenhouse pollution by 20%, which is as much as if we took every passenger vehicle off the road.
Source: based on data from US Energy Information Agency and US Department of Transportation.
Energy recycling is super efficient
Most U.S. power plants are only 33% efficient. The typical plant throws out two of every three units of energy, largely in the form of waste heat. This (in)efficiency rate has not changed since the 1950s.
Cogeneration plants — also known as combined heat and power (CHP) — recycles the waste heat into clean electricity and useful steam. Cogeneration plants are at least 67% efficient and often 80-90% efficient.
Energy recycling saves money
Energy recycling could save the United States an estimated $70-150 BILLION a year on energy costs by generating heat and power more efficiently. The facilities that undertake such projects are generally able to cut their energy expenses by about 20%.
Energy recycling is proven
Denmark obtains over half of its energy from CHP systems, leading it to be the global model for energy efficiency and clean power. Denmark uses about 40% as much energy as the U.S. does to produce a dollar of GDP. By contrast, the U.S. utilization rate languishes in the single digits, among the lowest in the world.
learn more…
- RED converts waste energy into clean electricity and heat with waste energy recovery
- Find answers to your energy recycling questions