First published in Cleantech magazine, November 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor 2008

Offering savings from industrial heat recovery

Montreal-based Sofame Technologies offers a range of ultra-efficient, custom-engineered equipment for heat recovery and water heating applications.  Ideal for retrofitting gas fired boilers Sofame is targeting the industrial, institutional and district heating markets.  Sofame’s customer base includes hospitals, airports, schools and a wide variety of industrial facilities.  Established in 1984, Sofame has installed more than 300 systems, primarily in its domestic Canadian market.  Sofame equipment is used in locations ranging from the Montreal Trudeau International Airport to Xstrata’s Brunswick mine.

First published in Cleantech magazine, September 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor 2008

Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (Clean Diesel), founded in 1994, specialises in technology for the reduction of emissions from automotive engines. Its portfolio of technologies is focused around intellectual property for two applications: the reduction of diesel particulates (including the ‘“fine”’ particulates PM10 or less),; and the reduction of NOx.

The technology suite includes fuel- borne catalysts (FBCs) – which are added to diesel (and other fuels) and operate at the point of combustion. In addition to reducing emissions, the use of an FBC, in conjunction with filters, reduces fuel consumption by improving the performance of the engine. Clean Diesel’s Platinum Plus® FBC contains minute amounts of platinum and cerium. One advantage is that less platinum is required in the diesel particulate filter. The fact that the catalytic action takes place “’in-cylinder’” improves the completeness of combustion. By reducing soot, Platinum Plus® keeps the filter clean and helps avoid the need for expensive self cleaning filters.

 By Jon Mainwaring

First published in Cleantech magazine, July 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd.

 NASDAQ-listed Fuel Systems Solutions makes components and systems that are designed to allow internal combustion engines to run on clean-burning gaseous fuels (such as natural gas, propane or biomethane). The company comprises two businesses: California-based IMPCO Technologies, created in 1958, which has become well established as a leading player in gaseous fuel systems; and Italian firm BRC, which was founded in the late 1970s.

by Jon Mainwaring

Nevada-based Ormat Technologies builds and operates environmentally-friendly geothermal power plants in the US, Central America and Africa.

Sometimes the pressure is so great that geothermal energy rises to the surface in natural streams of hot steam or water (geysers). However, geothermal energy can also be exploited by drilling wells into the reservoirs so that steam is brought to the surface in order to drive turbines in power plants.