Article Archives - Exergo

Exergo selected by Groupe E for a flagship project in Fribourg

ExerGo — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 18:41:21 +0000

Exergo deploys its innovative technology on a Groupe E flagship project in Fribourg

ExerGo’s technology has been selected by GroupeE for the construction of an industrial heat pump plant in Englisberg. This flagship project will use the CO2 network developed by ExerGo to transport heat from the lake to the heat pumps feeding the district heating of the city, thereby significantly increasing the renewable energy injected into the Fribourg network.

The ExerGo system is the first of its kind in terms of size and technological integration. It will power four heat pumps, each with a capacity of 4.5 MW. The Englisberg production faciility will be able to inject into the city’s district heating 70 GWh of thermal energy per year, which will eventually represent 6% of the total energy fed into the city’s district heating system.

Among the decisive factors that brought Groupe E to adopt ExerGo CO2 network the reduction in investment costs made possible by the compactness of the ExerGo solution, which also guarantees system redundancy. Another key advantage of using ExerGo system consists in assuring the reduction in the pumping energy requirements which is much lower than the solution using water.

Finally, environmental protection aspects also played a key role, as the CO2 contained in ExerGo’s closed circuit is the same as that absorbed by plants to grow and contains no lubricants or other chemicals that are harmful to the environment, such as the glycol in the water circuits, usually need with water to prevent freezing. ExerGo’s solution therefore minimises the risks in terms of environmental impact.

Construction is scheduled to start in the first half of 2025 and the plant is expected to be fully operational in 2027.

ExerGo’s CEO, Alberto Mian, is very proud of his team’s work: “This industrial scale facility equipped with our technology is the result of ExerGo team’s ongoing commitment to developing and establishing a new industry standard in the energy infrastructure market.

It is gratifying to witness the tangible results of our efforts in projects like Schiffenen, which are contributing to the energy transition and, more broadly, the decarbonization of densely populated areas. Moreover, our solutions can be implemented in Europe and globally for both heating and district cooling.”

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Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label for ExerGo’s CO2 networks

ExerGo — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 20:55:04 +0000

On March 2024, ExerGo’s solution was awarded the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label

Using natural resources such as lakes, rivers, oceans, geothermal energy or waste heat, ExerGo’s thermal networks efficiently distribute energy using CO₂ in a closed loop.

The excellent energy-carrying capabilities of CO₂ allow a thermal network to be deployed in a densely populated area using small flexible pipes. This helps to save high costs and time for construction and piping, enabling utilities, municipalities, private and public companies to accelerate the decarbonization of building heating and cooling in dense urban areas, where a CO₂ network can act as a smart thermal grid, optimizing supply and demand between users all year round.

Compatible with standard HVAC systems and heat harvesting technologies, ExerGo networks are suitable for various residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Access our solution page here !

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Meet the winners of the 2023 Heat Pump Awards

ExerGo — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:59:14 +0000

This press release was originally released by the European Heat Pump Association.

On 28 September, the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) hosted the 13^th edition of the Heat Pump Award, an event dedicated to honouring the most outstanding projects at the local, residential, and industrial levels. The Award Ceremony took place at the Grand Place Marriot Hotel in Brussels during EHPA’s annual Heat Pump Forum.

The Heat Pump Award, an initiative of EHPA, aims to capture the remarkable progress and relentless innovation driving the heat pump industry forward. In this edition, the 13^th, the Award received more than 40 applications from across the globe, each offering a unique perspective on how heat pumps play a vital role in our journey towards decarbonisation.

During the event, we granted recognition to winning projects in five categories: Heat Pump city of the Year, Decarbuilding – which celebrates the use of heat pumps in the building sector, Decarbindustry – use of heat pumps for more sustainable industrial practices-, Lighthouse Heat Pump – which rewards innovation and creativity, and People’s Choice – crowning the most popular heat pump project based on public votes.

We extend our gratitude to all the participants who submitted their remarkable projects, to the jury of experts that assessed the submissions and to the public that enthusiastically casted their votes to determine the People’s Choice Award winner.

The awarded projects for the 2023 edition are:

Heat Pump City of the Year Award: ‘The world’s first CO₂-based energy network’ in Sion, Switzerland, by ExerGo.

Introduced by Enrique Vilatmitjana Managing Director at Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions Europe, and accepted by Dr. Alberto Mian, CEO at ExerGo.

The project represents ExerGo´s efforts to pioneer the world’s first CO₂-based energy network, using CO₂ as a heat transfer fluid instead of water. The higher energy density means smaller, flexible pipes can be used. The pilot plant in Sion, Switzerland, has provided 1,200 MWh of year-round heating and cooling since March 2022, optimising energy usage among the Energypolis Campus buildings at HES-SO University of Applied Sciences.

It is a great honour for ExerGo to receive the prestigious Heat Pump City of The Year Award from the European Heat Pump Association.
This prize is an important milestone towards the recognition of our technology, the CO2 thermal network, as an efficient and ready-to-scale solution to decarbonize cities all around the world.
My deepest gratitude goes to my team, our investors and Sion pilot project partners who contributed to boost our development and commercialization.

Alberto Mian, CEO, ExerGo Tweet

Decarbuilding Award: ‘Water-Loop Heat Pump for heating systems retrofit in existing buildings‘ by INNOVA Srl.

The prize was introduced by Malgorzata Smuczynska, Regional Sales Director EAST and MD at ESBE Hydronic Systems, and accepted by Ilario Zanetti, Presales Engineer at INNOVA Srl.

This project was born under the firm belief that the global shift toward electric-based energy systems is crucial for decarbonisation, especially in existing buildings. The innovative water-loop heat pump air conditioning system employs a primary heat pump to generate water suitable for standard pipes and radiators, ensuring consistent temperatures (20-35 °C) throughout the year. Quiet

In order to decarbonise our building stock, we must equip large existing buildings with smart, clean heating and cooling technologies. Winning the DecarBuilding Award with our waterloop heat pump reinforces INNOVA’s core mission: to grow through innovation.

Ilario Zanneti, Presales Engineer, Innova Srl Tweet

Decarbindustry Award: ‘How Bosch transformed the Eisenach plant into a pioneer in energy efficiency’, by Bosch.

Introduced by Irene Egea Saiz, EU Projects Manager at EHPA, and accepted by Rudolf Marevic, Service and Portfolio Management at Bosch Sicherheitssysteme GmbH.

In this project, the Bosch Eisenach factory, formerly reliant on gas boilers and chillers, underwent a transformation to decarbonise its heating and cooling. It used compressed air waste heat recovery and a heat pump, slashing annual CO² emissions by 2,400 tons, cutting gas consumption by over 90%, and lowering energy costs by approximately 600,000 euros. The site now boasts nearly carbon-neutral heating and cooling generation.

We are honoured to have won the decarbindustry award this year. We would like to reproduce this kind of project to other locations too, #LikeABosch.

Rudolf Marevic, Service and Portfolio Management, Bosch Sicherheitssysteme GmbH Tweet

Lighthouse heat pump Award: ‘Heat the streets’, by Kensa Utilities.

Introduced by Patrick Crombez, General Manager for Heating and Renewables, EMEA, at Daikin Europe, and accepted by Lisa Treseder, Director of Business development at Kensa Utilities.

The Heat the Streets project showcased the feasibility of retrofitting ground source heat pumps to domestic properties at scale without a ‘fabric-first’ approach. It received partial funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and was conducted in rural Cornwall. The project demonstrated the potential for coordinated, mass deployment of ground source heat pumps in a networked fashion, successfully installing the world’s first in-road retrofit of a shared ground array and providing ground source heat pumps to over 100 properties, including new builds and retrofits, advancing the UK’s net-zero heating goals.

At the #HPForum, financing of heat pumps was a top priority. The focus was on selling heat services rather than commodities, which is exactly what we did on Heat the Streets. By treating the ground array infrastructure as a utility asset, we make it easier for our customers to say yes to heat pumps. Our model mimics the arrangements we already have with the gas network, making it very familiar to British households.

Lisa Treseder, Director of Business Development, Kensa Utilities Tweet

People’s Choice Award: the most popular heat pump project: ’AHT Rottenmann - Decarbonisation Project: Gas Boiler Replacement’ by Daikin Europe.

Introduced by Kaven Nourrice R&D Specialist at Frascold and accepted by Jan Logghe, Senior Manager at Daikin Europe.

AHT Rottenmann’s forward-looking Decarbonisation Project involved replacing gas boilers with a cutting-edge heat pump cascade, delivering a total heating capacity of 1,200kW. This sustainable system caters to the production facility of the plant, office building, and domestic hot water needs, aligning with the company’s commitment to eco-friendly practices.

We are exceptionally proud and thankful for the appreciation expressed by all the people who voted for our industrial heat pump project at AHT Rottenmann in Austria. Being awarded with the People Choice’s award shows our solutions to decarbonise the industry resonate with a wide audience, for which we are very grateful.

Jan Logghe, Senior Manager, Daikin Europe Tweet

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ExerGo harnesses renewable resources to provide natural and efficient free cooling

Alberto Mian — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 09:13:41 +0000

As heat waves are increasing each year due to climate change, so is the need for environmentally friendly cooling systems. How can we provide cooling services using less energy? With our efficient thermal networks, we can provide free cooling – a process using cold renewable resources to provide cooling directly to the users.

How does ExerGo’s free cooling work?

It’s simple. At ExerGo, we use low-temperature renewable resources, such as lakes, rivers, and air. The water or air passes the balancing plant where it cools down the CO2, which we use as a transfer fluid in a closed loop for optimised energy efficiency. Flowing through our small, flexible pipes to the customers’ substations, the CO2, in turn, cools down the water that flows into each building. Requiring neither cooling towers nor compressors, our solution is a natural, efficient, and easy-to-use cooling system for utilities, municipalities, and private companies without compromising the health of people and our planet.

Why CO2-based free cooling?

Compared to water-based networks our CO2-based network is up to nine times denser. This allows the use of smaller and flexible pipes, which, in turn, require smaller trenches and can cut up to 20% in CAPEX. With minimal roadwork, we also help reach our cities’ most densely populated urban areas and historical sites. Breaking down logistical and economical barriers, we make district heating and cooling possible everywhere.

Benefits of free cooling

Some benefits include:

Low electricity consumption of pumps thanks to the high energy density of CO2 compared to water
A natural, environmentally friendly option aligned with current and future climate policies
An all-in-one system, where users can benefit not only from cooling, but heating too

Want to learn more about how ExerGo's thermal networks?

We'll help you assess whether ExerGo is a good fit for your project.

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Welcome Guillaume, ExerGo’s new project manager

Alberto Mian — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 14:31:03 +0000

This month, we are thrilled to welcome Guillaume Cuvillier to our ExerGo team. Guillaume is an energy engineering specialised in district heating and cooling networks.

Could you tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in a small French village called Asson at the foot of the Pyrenees. Passionate about the environment, I did my master’s in Sustainable Energy Systems at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. I then moved to Switzerland, where I’ve been working for various energy companies for more than 14 years.

What’s your role at ExerGo?

As a project manager, I’m responsible for customer projects and collaborating with the product development team to drive the company’s growth.

What inspired you to join our team?

After several years of working with traditional heating and cooling systems, I’ve seen the challenge of heat transport, especially in city centres. That’s why I’m attracted by the challenge of developing a new technology in a small but dynamic team such as ExerGo. The needs of experience, adaptation, and reactivity of the team totally meet my professional goals and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the team.

What do you do outside of work?

I love doing sports such as ski touring, surfing, mountain biking, climbing, or building wooden surfboards. Above all, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends as it’s a great way to relax and keep a healthy work-life balance.

Want to learn more about the team?

Visit About Us

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ExerGo participates in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2023

Alberto Mian — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:57:32 +0000

With our innovative and efficient thermal network solution powered by renewable energy and waste heat, we are participating in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2023. Hosted by Venturelabs, an organisation driving startup development through various programmes, this annual event brings together the 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups for the 13^th consecutive year.

Our heating and cooling solution, the CO₂ network, is right in time. Having approved the net-zero climate law in June 2023, Switzerland is committed to phase out fossil fuels in favour of Swiss-made renewables to improve energy security. Compared to fossil fuel-based system, our networks can save 80% in primary energy and up to 25% of CAPEX compared to incumbent water-based systems making it the most viable and secure energy solution for our cities.

That’s why we are participating in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award, to help Switzerland reach its ambitious climate goals.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help.

The voting comprises two independent ballots: Public Voting and Top 100 Ranking.

Public Voting: All LinkedIn user are eligible to vote for their favourite startup before the end of July 23. See how below.
Top 100 Ranking: A panel of 100 esteemed investors and experts vote into their top 100 startups, which CEOs are invited to the award ceremony in Zurich on September 6.

Want to help us make it to the top? Here’s how:

Visit our profile at https://www.startup.ch/exergo
Click on the golden “Vote now” button
Log in with your LinkedIn profile, and voila – that’s it

Thank you for helping us shape the future of energy.

Are you ready for the energy transition?

Vote Now

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Anergy network based on CO2

ExerGo — Tue, 16 May 2023 13:04:37 +0000

This article was originally published in Le Bulletin Electrosuisse (February 2023 Edition).

The rapid evolution of thermal networks is an essential factor in the strategies developed to achieve the carbon reduction goals set for 2050. A CO₂-based anergy network such as the one installed on the Energypolis campus in Sion delivers an efficient and cost-effective solution for many applications where a standard water-based network is not feasible.

One quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from energy systems used to heat or cool buildings. Consequently, this sector has a key part to play in the transition towards a carbon-free world. Its role is all the more important because energy demand related to heating and air-conditioning systems is continuously increasing, whereas the rate of building renovations (<1%) is substantially below the targets set by the Swiss Federal government.

However, reducing carbon emissions from heating and cooling systems in dense urban environments presents a real challenge. Given their high density, these areas are suitable for installing energy networks to deliver heat to consumers in urban centres from peripheral renewable sources, which are often easier to exploit. Nevertheless, practice shows that districts with higher densities are subject to more restrictions on network installations (underground congestion, paved roads, problems of ensuring traffic flows while work is in progress, etc.). CO₂-based anergy networks will be able to provide solutions for some of these challenges in future years.

What is an anergy network?

Anergy network technology has seen considerable development over the last 15 years. An anergy network (or loop) is a low-temperature thermal network (between 3 and 15°C) that offers heating services (via heat pumps) and cooling services (by direct cooling). These networks are particularly suitable for making efficient use of heat from the environment (lakes, rivers, groundwater, geothermal energy, etc.) and of waste heat, by taking advantage of synergies between heating and cooling demands. In this case, the low-temperature heat is transferred directly from the cooling consumers (refrigeration, cooling for IT equipment or process cooling, etc.) to the heating consumers (heat pumps).

The anergy networks that are currently operated use water in the liquid phase as the transfer fluid. To ensure compatibility not only with the temperature regimes imposed by air conditioning but also with those required by heat pumps, a small temperature difference is required between the two lines of the network (generally between 3 and 6°C): this results in a low volumetric energy density in the order of 3.3 to 6.6 kWh of low-temperature thermal energy per m³ of water transferred. This low density requires pipe diameters, excavations, and civil engineering works on a scale appropriate to the thermal power involved. The same applies to the electricity consumption of the pumps used to circulate the water in the network.

Benefits of a CO2-based anergy network

By exploiting the latent heat of evaporation/condensation of a fluid rather than its sensible heat, it becomes possible to supply the heat pumps and cold exchangers of an anergy network while significantly increasing its energy density and, consequently, reducing its footprint. For this purpose, the fluid used must have – at the temperature of the anergy network (3 to 15°C) – a high latent heat of evaporation/condensation as well as high densities and low viscosities for each of the liquid and gas phases.

CO₂ offers these characteristics (table 1). If we consider the average density for the gas and liquid phases, the low-temperature volumetric thermal energy density is between 24.1 and 31.3 kWh per m³ of CO₂ transferred, i.e., 3.6 to 9.5 times higher than the value for water. If all hydraulic constraints are considered, the footprint of a CO₂ anergy system is about 2 to 3 times smaller than that of an equivalent water-based system. A reduction on this scale also has a beneficial effect on the complexity of the installation work, which is greatly simplified because the components to be assembled are smaller and lighter. Consequently, the excavation work required is far less extensive. These advantages are counterbalanced by the relatively high pressure of the CO₂. At the network temperatures that apply here, the pressure is between 38 and 51 bar.

Accelerated development

Two characteristic features have made it possible to accelerate and scale this technology. Firstly, CO₂ has been used as a refrigerant since the end of the 19th century. As for other natural fluids such as propane or ammonia, its use was abandoned in the 1930s to make way for fluids that were later found to be harmful to the ozone layer (ozone depletion potential, ODP) and which have a high environmental impact (global warming potential, GWP).

Nowadays, CO₂ is once again attracting great interest and is used in industrial and commercial refrigeration thanks to its low environmental impact and to the high efficiency levels of machines available on the market. More than 40,000 CO₂-based commercial cooling/refrigeration systems were operating in Europe at the end of 2021 (in supermarkets, ice rinks, fruit and vegetable warehouses, etc.) [1]. This accelerated introduction of CO₂ for refrigeration purposes makes it easier to integrate existing components into the construction of a CO₂ network such as the one on the Energypolis campus in Sion – all the more so because the same standards apply to the substations and the machines.

Secondly, the petrochemical industry developed flexible pipes made of reinforced thermoplastic material, which enable the transportation of fluids at operating pressures in excess of 100 bar. Thanks to the two points mentioned above, the current level of technological development already makes it possible to construct installations with several MW of thermal power.

A demonstrator on the Energypolis campus site

Various research projects, mainly undertaken at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) between 2008 [2] and 2019 [3–7] have made it possible to develop the bases for implementing a network of significant size. ExerGo’s development work and competence in the realisation of the thermoplastic pipe network, Zero-C’s acknowledged expertise in the construction of CO₂installations, OIKEN’s provision of a connection to the renewable heat source (groundwater), together with project leadership and management of integration into the buildings by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO Valais), have created the favourable conditions required for the successful implementation of a CO₂-based heating and cooling distribution network demonstrator on the new site of the Energypolis campus at Sion, in the canton of Valais.

This installation aims to demonstrate the validity, reliability, and functional safety of the concept in its final form under real operating conditions, and to evaluate its performance in terms of energy efficiency and economic aspects.

The Sion demonstrator was installed as a redundant system alongside the district heating and cooling networks (DHN and DCN) which already supply the buildings (figure 1). This configuration offers maximum flexibility for the various performance tests because it enables the demonstrator to provide heating and cooling services, but the buildings do not depend on it to supply their heating and cooling.

More details about the configuration

The demonstrator comprises a central plant (balancing unit) the role of which is to extract heat from the thermal source available in the cold season (or, respectively, to inject heat into the source during the hot season), three substations – consumers of heating and/or cooling – and the CO₂ network as such, which links the substations to the central plant (figure 2).

The central plant consists of a heat exchanger between the CO₂ network and the renewable energy source (in this case, the groundwater connected via the DCN) and a buffer tank to equalise the network’s overall energy balance.

The network itself consists of a liquid-state CO₂ line and a gaseous-state CO₂ line; the CO₂ circulates in flexible pipes made of composite materials that can withstand pressures of more than 100 bar. The liquid line is under higher pressure than the gas line. The pressure difference between the lines (of the order of 1 to 2 bar) ensures the supply to the heat exchangers used for direct cooling – i.e., without the need to use cooling machines.

Each of the three substations (one per building) uses a heat exchanger to supply cooling and a heat pump to produce the temperature required for heating and domestic hot water (Figure 2). A substation only requires the network to supply the difference between its energy requirements for heating and cooling. In a theoretical example where the building has perfectly balanced cooling and heating demands, it will have no dependency on the network. The same applies to all the substations: if the net heating and cooling demands for all the buildings are zero, the central plant does not need to be supplied from its thermal source.

How the system functions

The total installed thermal power is 340 kW for heating and 450 kW for cooling. In winter, the heat pumps extract heat from the network by condensing the gaseous CO₂ and conveying the liquid CO₂ produced to the central plant. The central plant compensates for the deficit of gaseous CO₂ by evaporating the surplus of liquid CO2 with heat extracted from the groundwater.

In summer, the cooling circuit evacuates its heat by evaporating the liquid CO₂ from the network and conveys the gaseous CO₂ produced to the central plant. The central plant then compensates for the deficit of liquid CO₂ by condensing the surplus of gaseous CO2 with the heat released in the groundwater. A cooling machine has been installed in the central plant for demonstration purposes, to allow simulation of various source temperatures (e.g. river, groundwater or lake).

Towards optimising energy performance

The demonstrator began operating in cooling mode in May 2022, and then in heating mode in November 2022. As Figure 3 shows, it is already able to meet over 50% of the site’s thermal requirements, and to take advantage of the anergy effect – i.e., simultaneous production of heat and cold (in this case via the server room). Now that this demonstration of feasibility (proof of concept) has been established, current research efforts are focused on measuring its energy performance and on finding technical solutions (typically: for management of the installations) which will enable improvements.

References

[1] r744.com/atmosphere-europe-natural-refrigerant-technologies-seen-as-good-investment/
[2] C. Weber, “Multi-objective design and optimization of district energy systems including polygeneration energy conversion“, EPFL thesis no. 4018, 2008.
[3] S. Henchoz, “Potential of refrigerant based district heating and cooling networks“, EPFL thesis no. 6935, 2016.
[4] P. Chatelan, “Potentiels thermo-économiques comparés de réseaux avancés fonctionnant au CO₂ et à l’eau“, practical Masters project undertaken at the EPFL Industrial Energy Laboratory, 2014.
[5] S. Henchoz, C. Weber, F. Maréchal, D. Favrat, “Performance and profitability perspectives of a CO₂ based district energy network in Geneva’s city center“, Energy, Vol. 85, p. 221-235, 2015.
[6] S. Henchoz, P. Chatelan, F. Maréchal, D. Favrat, “Key energy and technological aspects of three innovative district energy networks“, Energy, Vol. 117, p. 465-477, 2016.
[7] R.-A. Suciu, “5th generation district energy systems for low carbon cities“, EPFL thesis no. 7332, 2019.

Authors

Cédric Dorsaz is a senior academic associate at HES-SO Valais.

HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion
dorsaz@hes-so.ch

Samuel Henchoz is the CTO of ExerGo SA.

ExerGo SA, 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
henchoz@exergo.com

Alberto Mian is the CEO of ExerGo SA.

alberto.mian@exergo.com

Jessen Page is a professor at HES-SO Valais.

jessen.page@hes-so.ch

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) for funding the “CO₂ network demonstration” project through its pilot and demonstration programme, the Zero-C and OIKEN companies, and professor François Maréchal of EPFL, for their essential contributions to the success of this project.

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ExerGo taps into the real estate ecosystem at RENT 2023

Alberto Mian — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 14:14:27 +0000

Last month, we presented our efficient district heating and cooling network at RENT – Switzerland’s largest real estate event – hosted by Real Estate Meetings.

At ExerGo, we were proud to join the RENT event together with 2,000+ professionals from 100+ companies at the SwissTech Convention Centre of EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 29-30. With our successful running pilot installation, multiple projects underway with utilities and private companies, plus a recent 1M in additional funding , we are accelerating our commercialization by tapping into the burgeoning real estate ecosystem.

According to the World Economic Forum’s article ‘Why heat is a challenge in the fight against climate change, and what we can do about it’, heat comprises half of the world’s total energy consumption and more than 40% of the global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Partnering with real estate players is therefore a steppingstone on our mission towards decarbonising our cities. With our efficient heating and cooling network — powered by renewable resources and waste heat — we help our B2B customers transition from fossil-fuel based systems and save up to 80% in primary energy. Providing not only a network for heating, but cooling, too, we are optimizing energy efficiency and future-proofing the energy needs of our cities all-year-around.

During RENT’s three-day event, we met leading real estate companies, utilities, and construction companies within sustainability, such as EWZ, Romande Energie, Orllati, and Steiner, to discuss the future of our cities.

“At RENT, we are always on the lookout for cutting-edge solutions that can help us shape a better future. We are therefore proud to bring together cleantech companies such as ExerGo with large corporations to foster strategic partnerships and a more sustainable building sector.”

Philippe Voland, Founder of REM, Real Estate Meeting and RENT SWITZERLAND, and Dorian Cleaver, Communications Lead, Privilège Events & Communication SA Tweet

Compatible with existing heating and cooling equipment, we offer our customers significant economic and sustainable gains — not only compared to fossil-fuel based systems, but also compared to water-based thermal energy networks. Using CO₂ instead of water as a transfer fluid in a closed loop our network is nine times denser and more energy efficient. This allows the use of smaller, flexible pipes with up to 60% savings in roadwork costs.

Vincent Ecker, Managing Director, Swiss Climate Foundation and partner of ExerGo:

“We need innovative technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of our cities. ExerGo, supported by the Swiss Climate Foundation, develops an urgently needed solution to transfer heat and cold with efficient thermal networks for high-density urban areas.”

Tweet

The RENT event proved that energy remains a hot topic as companies and cities worldwide are raising their sustainability goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C according to the Paris agreement. Supporting our customers throughout the entire value chain — from consulting and engineering to construction and procurement, and all the way to monitoring and maintenance – we offer them a clear-cut pathway to net zero.

Ready to decarbonize?

Book a free appointment today

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ExerGo hires three new talents in finance, sales, and tech

Alberto Mian — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

This month, we are celebrating our three new hires in finance, sales, and tech. Meet Ali Kheloui, Hesham Selim and Pierre-Aloïs Roux.

At ExerGo, we embrace diversity. That’s why we are proud to welcome Ali Kheloui, Hesham Selim and Pierre-Aloïs Roux. What unites them is that they all come with a different skillset, experience, and nationality. In fact, three quarters of our team (9 of 12 employees), grew up in a different country from one another, widening our company’s horizons.

Alberto Mian, CEO, ExerGo:

“I believe our differences makes us stronger. Having such a diverse team is key, especially as we are entering the global market.”

Welcome Ali, Hesham, and Pierre-Aloïs

Meet Ali, our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Having supported ExerGo as a contractor since last year, today we are proud to welcome him as an employee. Ali has lived and worked in Senegal, where he grew up, and Portugal before settling down in Switzerland. With more than 20 years’ experience working for multinational- and small companies in various industries – shipping, investments management, and energy – plus having led multiple ventures spanning across four continents – Ali has a 360-degree experience in finance and business management. A true entrepreneur — Ali is an invaluable asset to the team.

Meet Hesham, our multi-lingual Enterprise Account Manager adept in sales, business development, and project management. Born in Egypt, but growing up in various continents across the world, this polyglot speaks English, French, German and Arabic fluently, while having a good knowledge of Spanish and Italian too. With his customer-oriented mind, curiosity, and enthusiasm, Hesham lives and breathes the spirit of ExerGo.

Meet Pierre (Pierre-Aloïs), our Swiss Junior Engineer fresh out of university, where he has earned a master’s in mechanical engineering. Specialising in energy and the environment, Pierre did his thesis on ExerGo’s CO₂ network. Passionate about cleantech coupled with his first experience with ExerGo, Pierre is the perfect fit for our growing technical team.

Having recently secured another €1 million in capital to accelerate our commercialization in Switzerland and worldwide, our new hires will play an instrumental role to help reach our ambitious targets in 2023 and beyond.

Want to learn more about Ali, Hesham, Pierre, and the team?

Visit About Us

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H₂O to CO₂? Seven benefits of using CO₂ in thermal networks

Alberto Mian — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:10:26 +0000

What if we can not only help reduce CO₂, but also make it work to our advantage? With our innovative compact thermal network, we are a B2B startup committed to upend the energy industry and provide sustainable, affordable, and efficient heating and cooling for people and the planet.

Why thermal networks?

Today, thermal networks are a hot topic. Amid the global climate change and energy crisis, such networks see an upswing as world’s cities are scrambling for renewable and reliable energy sources. Compared to standalone units using fossil-fuels, district heating and cooling systems are more sustainable and efficient as they optimize the energy flow between its users, saving up to 80% in primary energy.

Water-based networks: Traditional- and the anergy network

While thermal networks are advancing, the most common one today is the traditional one using hot water, generally with supply and return temperatures of up to 90°C and 60°C respectively. Although it benefits from small pipes and therefore less construction requirements, it suffers from energy losses of up to 15%. The newer model, the anergy water network, is operating at a much lower temperature (8°C supply and 5°C return), while also keeping energy losses at a minimum. The downside: it requires significantly larger pipes because the need of a higher flow rate. This is due to the smaller possible temperature difference between the pipes (8/5°C in anergy networks, compared to 90/60°C in traditional ones) as temperature difference and flow are needed to transfer energy.

The thermal energy revolution: from H₂O to CO₂

At ExerGo, we are moving beyond these parameters by pioneering a new way to transfer energy — through a phase change using carbon dioxide. This allows us to reap the benefits of both the traditional and anergy networks: small pipes, less construction, and low temperatures. With our thermal networks powered by renewable resources and waste heat, we turn CO₂ into a positive use of resource that can contribute to the energy transition.

Water thermal network

Large and rigid pipes.

CO₂ thermal network

Small and flexible pipes.

Seven surprising benefits of using CO₂ in thermal networks

CO₂ can be turned into a low temperature working fluid mitigating energy losses.
Energy is transferred through a phase change (liquid to vapor, and vice versa), instead of temperature differences as done in water-based networks. This makes our network up to nine times denser and significantly more efficient.
This high energy density allows the use of smaller, flexible pipes, which can save up to 60% in installation time and cost as less construction is needed.
Our CO₂ network is compatible with standard heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and can easily replace or complement existing networks needing a last-mile solution.
The CO₂ used is a by-product from industrial processes. Currently we are also exploring partnerships with carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS) companies to leverage such capabilities once these technologies become available for our industry.
CO₂ as a refrigerant has been used for supermarkets, ice rinks and factories for decades and is a safe, proven method, which we are now applying to district heating and cooling.
While CO₂ and water are the only natural refrigerants that are non-flammable and non-toxic, CO₂ is also a fire extinguisher agent that leaves no damages or residue such as foam, powder, or water. In the future, our technology may even double as an additional means of firefighting in cities.

Having successfully launched our pilot project in Sion, Switzerland with our deployment partners, we have demonstrated that sustainable and high-efficient energy networks for our cities are attainable.

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