This blog series highlights the inaugural group of companies that joined the CEBA community through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion membership.

Heavy industry is perhaps the most difficult sector for carbon abatement because of its scale and the requirements for a solution in terms of technology and capital. Both globally and in the U.S., the industrial sector is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and accounts for approximately one fourth of emissions. These emissions have only risen in recent years. 

This is where Kanin Energy, a minority female-led clean energy company, has identified an untapped and “wasted” resource as a highly effective strategy for impacting climate change and accelerating emission reductions. That waste resource is heat, and lots of it, with approximately 290,000 petajoules of waste heat released from heavy industrial operations every year, globally.  

Kanin Energy focuses on transforming industrial waste heat into emission free baseload power – at no cost to facilities. In fact, the facilities are paid for that heat. Kanin’s main objective is to decarbonize heavy industry by providing industrial operators a clean source of electricity from their waste heat through the installation of waste heat to power (WHP) projects. 

WHP captures heat energy from industrial processes, that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere, and turns it into useful baseload electric power. WHP delivers a zero-emission alternative to the use of fossil fuels to provide a reliable 24/7 electricity resource. In addition to improving the reliability of the grid, WHP can support energy resiliency, energy efficiency, and act as an economic driver in heavy industrial regions. According to a Waste Heat to Power Market Assessment by ICF International, there is currently over 15 GW of technical potential for WHP generation in the U.S. alone. 

Kanin’s goal is to show the value of WHP as a clean baseload energy alternative and untapped resource in the North American market. While there is a lot of attention and solutions for decarbonizing transportation and electricity, there is not much focus on decarbonizing industry. Kanin believes the business model for implementing industrial decarbonization can be disrupted to accelerate adoption of clean infrastructure. Waste heat is a perfect case study for business model innovation; the commercial technology offers a low-hanging fruit for industrial facilities looking to lower emissions, and ultimately catalyzing other decarbonization and energy efficiency projects. 

To accelerate WHP as a solution to net zero, Kanin has joined the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) to remove barriers for renewable energy procurement in the industrial sector. Kanin is thrilled to announce its involvement with CEBA as a DEI founding member. With markets trending for resilient and reliable 24/7 power, and time-bound commitments to meet climate goals, readily available solutions, like WHP, are not only beneficial, but essential.  

Get Involved
Learn more about CEBA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Membership here.