Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, humankind has continued its quest to develop new sources of energy to power our growth. Now in the 21st century, our quest is no different, but our exploration of energy has shifted to the development of sustainable sources of energy such as solar, wind and, of course, geothermal. We are excited to tell you that a new, larger source of renewable energy has been found, and it comes from an incredibly unexpected source—our drains!
Did you know that when you flush the toilet or take a shower, run the dishwasher or do the laundry, you are sending free energy straight to the sewer system? Well, we are here to tell you that exiting from buildings, beneath our sidewalks and beneath our roadways, energy flows; abundant accessible, renewable energy! And thanks to the innovators at International Wastewater Systems and their patented SHARC™ Sewage Heat Recovery System, we can now recycle that wasted energy and place it back into our buildings!
According to the US Department of Energy 350 billion Kwh worth of hot water is discarded through our drains in North America every year. That’s a lot of energy! To put that into perspective, this is the equivalent amount of energy that 170 coal-fired power plants generate annually in North America! It also means that nearly $35 billion worth of energy goes down the drain every year. What a waste, right?
The SHARC™ Heat Recovery System is undeniably one of the most significant technology innovations to impact the built environment since geothermal heating and cooling. The applications for the SHARC™ are diverse, and it can be applied to retro-fit and new construction applications. Multi-family buildings, prisons, hotels, dormitories and many industrial facilities all stand to benefit significantly from this technology!
Stay posted, a smaller, compact version of the SHARC™ ,the PIRANHA™, is coming to the market place this Summer! Opening up the this incredible technology to more of the built environment!