Lifecycle analysis shows major climate benefits of the PWR BLOK
The PWR BLOK, Swedish Stirling’s solution for energy recovery, has a very low environmental impact. A lifecycle analysis shows that, after just a few weeks in operation, the PWR BLOK unit has fully offset the environmental impact of the technology for its entire estimated product lifecycle. The technology is therefore of very large climate benefit.
Earlier this autumn, Swedish clean-tech company Swedish Stirling AB commissioned environmental consultancy firm, Promethium Carbon, to carry out a lifecycle analysis (LCA) of the PWR BLOK technology. The first interim report of the analysis shows that, after just a few weeks of operation in South Africa, the PWR BLOK unit has fully offset the emissions that the technology will generate during its entire product lifecycle. This means that the climate impact per KWh generated is on a par with the best available types of energy.
The purpose of the lifecycle analysis of the PWR BLOK unit is to produce a full review, and give an overall impression of the technology’s total environmental impact as it now enters mass production and is rolled out commercially. The analysis covers the entire lifecycle, from raw material extraction, manufacturing processes, and waste management, to transportation and energy consumption at all intermediary stages. It is based on the international standard for lifecycle analyses, ISO 14040, and is carried out by the independent environmental consultancy firm, Promethium Carbon. Once the analysis is completed and validated by an external auditor, it will be fully published. This should happen at the start of next year.
“Many industries are presently working on or preparing for a necessary energy transformation. This applies especially to electricity-intensive industries such the metal processing industry. The difference with the past is that it’s now just as important to reduce the sector’s negative climate impact as it is to reduce its electricity costs. The interim report shows that the PWR BLOK’s environmental efficiency can help companies to reach their net zero emission objectives more quickly, while reducing their costs at the same time,” says Dennis Andersson, CEO of Swedish Stirling.
The PWR BLOK unit is a container-based product that uses Swedish Stirling’s proprietary Stirling engines to recover energy from residual gases and waste heat in the industry, and convert these into electricity. By means of energy recovery, both the customers’ needs for purchased electricity and their climate footprint are reduced. Each MWh generated by the PWR BLOK unit in South Africa reduces CO2 emissions by about 1 tonne.