​Improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector is being prioritised in many countries because of its importance in the pursuit of energy supply security, increasing economic competitiveness and in reducing greenhouse gases emissions. One of the most energy-intensive industries in North America and Europe, is pulp and paper.
 
According to Statistics Canada, in 2014, the pulp and paper industry accounted for 24% of the total energy consumed by all manufacturing operations in the country. This was down from 31% in 2005. This decline reflects changes in the demand for certain paper products such as newsprint (Canada’s primary newsprint market, the United States, witnessed a considerable fall-off in newspaper circulation as more readers migrated to digital media sources), as well as energy efficiency improvements at various mills.
 
Typical paper mills use most of their energy in the pulping and drying processes, but the specific energy consumption in pulp and paper production is a result of several factors, including plant size, product mix, processes used, the technical age of the mill, feedstock quality, plant capacity utilization, and climate conditions.
 
Investment to improve energy efficiency in the pulp and paper industry can deliver large energy savings, improved productivity, and reduced environmental pollution. Opportunities to improve energy efficiency include: heat recovery, cogeneration, increased use of (self-generated) biomass fuel, and increased recycling of recovered paper, efficient motors and improved efficiency of steam use.
 
The pulp and paper industry requires a typically high amount of power and heat in forms of hot air and/or steam. And, with such a high, steady demand for heat as well as power, many pulp and paper plants are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the benefits offered by Thermal Energy International’s best-in-class heat recovery, cogeneration, and steam trap solutions.
 
Thermal Energy's FLU-ACE® heat recovery technology can recover as much as 90% of the heat normally lost through dryer section / hood exhausts in the form of water at 50°C to 70°C. This is possible using the FLU-ACE’s unique direct contact (gas/liquid) packed-tower design, enabling optimal recovery of both sensible and latent heat, in widely varying operating conditions.
 
The pulp and paper industry remains a prime candidate for cogeneration. Thermal Energy’s Super-Efficient Cogeneration™ solutions can provide up to 70% savings on electrical costs at a self-generated kWh cost of less than $0.04/kWh, and an additional 10% to 20% natural gas energy savings from up to 90% recovery of heat losses from existing exhaust streams.
 
The Company's GEM™ steam traps help pulp and paper manufacturers achieve a 10% to 20% permanent reduction in steam costs. GEM steam traps have no moving parts, require virtually no maintenance, and come with a ten-year “no fail” performance warranty, which means increased reliability and less maintenance costs. Venturi orifice designed GEM steam traps can help eliminate water hammering problems, eliminate the cost of replacing failed traps, and improve a plant’s production output.
 
An increasing number of pulp and paper companies are recognizing their social obligations and their role in the communities and countries in which they operate. In fact, many proactive forest-industry companies have brought responsible business practices visibly into their corporate strategies and communication efforts. Thermal Energy International is well positioned to work with pulp and paper companies in helping them achieve their corporate energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction goals. 

Canadian cleantech company, Thermal Energy International, announced yesterday that it has landed its first "Super-Efficient CogenerationTM" order.  The order, valued at $1.46 million, comes as repeat business from its leading Fortune 500 food and beverage customer. This customer most recently orders a $1.82 million FLU-ACE heat recovery system from Thermal Energy in July.

Partially utilizing the FLU-ACE(R) unit previously installed, Thermal Energy will work with this customer to implement a number of additional energy efficiency and heat recovery measures related to three new reciprocating engine units to be installed on-site. These measures are expected to result in the customer's cogeneration plant being more than 88% efficient. This compares to typical cogeneration systems, which operate between 65% and 75% efficiency.

According to a report from Research and Markets, the global Combined Heat and Power market is expected to continue its growth trajectory, approaching an installed capacity of approximately 972 GW by 2025. This is up from approximately 755.2 GW of installed capacity in 2016.
 
The total CHP installed capacity increased from 437.4 Gigawatts (GW) in 2006 to 733.7 GW in 2015, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.9%. The market is being driven by the need for energy efficiency, growing environmental concern, and increasing government incentives and policies to promote cogeneration.
 
Governments around the world are supporting the growth in CHP by way of favorable policies and financial incentives. Strong commitment from these governments for the development of CHP has led to various R&D initiatives and CHP installations, which will drive the market in the upcoming period.
 
We believe that companies that are able to combine CHP with waste heat recovery technologies will be better-positioned to capitalize on the strong market fundamentals and expected growth.  For instance, combining a typical cogeneration product with Thermal Energy International’s proprietary FLU-ACE heat recovery technology results in a marked improvement, pushing efficiency up to as high as 93%, compared to typical cogeneration systems that provide efficiency of around 65% to 75% on average.

Cleantechies | ​​Super-Efficient Cogeneration Solution Reduces Electricity Costs by up to 70%

In North America, manufacturers and other industrial operations account for approximately one third of the total energy consumed and one third of fossil fuel related greenhouse gas emissions. For the most part, that energy is not used as efficiently as it could be, with between 20 to 50% of industrial energy input being lost as waste heat – primarily as hot exhaust gases, cooling water, and heat lost from hot equipment surfaces and heated products.
 
What if we could capture lost energy and use it? There are proven technologies available today that do just that.  That’s right, there are readily available solutions that significantly increase the efficient use of our energy resources, making industrial energy efficiency one of the best clean energy sources available. In fact, according to a recent report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, “How Much Does Energy Efficiency Cost,” the “new” power resulting from energy efficiency projects is significantly less expensive than the cost of power that would be generated by new power plants (including wind farms and utility scale solar power).
 
So why are they not being used more pervasively?  The challenge is that the upfront cost of installing clean technologies can be prohibitively expensive for companies that require a short term return on investment.  That being said, there are numerous energy efficiency solutions that provide a high return on investment with short, compelling paybacks.
 
Some of the possible improvements at the structure level are replacement of burners and use of stack economizers on boilers (15% to 20% of the energy used in a boiler plant is lost up the boiler stack), converting mechanical steam traps over to venturi orifice steam traps, and installing a cogeneration (or combined heat and power) system.
 
Waste heat to power captures waste heat that would typically be vented from an industrial facility and uses it to make electricity without additional fuel or emissions. Cogeneration plants, which produce both heat and power from a single source of fuel, provides double the efficiency of central station power generation.
 
Electricity generation based on fossil fuels is rather inefficient. At best the electrical efficiency is usually around 40% at full load, meaning 60% of the fuel energy content is wasted as residual heat. Standard cogeneration systems make use of this waste heat, potentially improving overall efficiency up to as high as 75% to 80%. Combining a typical cogeneration product with heat recovery technology can push this efficiency even higher.
 
That’s exactly what Canadian cleantech company, Thermal Energy International, is doing. By combining cogeneration and the company’s proprietary FLU-ACE heat recovery technology, Thermal Energy offers a super-efficient cogeneration solution with an energy efficiency of up to 93%.  Thermal Energy’s cogeneration solution can provide up to 70% savings on electrical costs at a self-generated kWh cost of less than $0.04/kWh, and an additional 10% to 20% natural gas energy savings from up to 90% recovery of heat losses from existing exhaust streams.
 
These are just a few examples of readily available technologies that dramatically lower energy use, emissions, and costs, thereby improving competitiveness. With companies always looking to improve their cost base, it is easy to see why energy efficiency should be a really important alternative to consider. With the short and compelling paybacks many of these projects provide, surely it is time for more companies to consider making the investment.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – October 20, 2016 – Thermal Energy International Inc. (“Thermal Energy” or the “Company”) (TSXV: TMG), a global provider of proprietary energy efficiency solutions to the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, today announced its financial results for the three-month period ended August 31, 2016. All figures are in Canadian dollars.
 
Highlights:
 

• Stronger order backlog of $7.8 million as at October 18, 2016 compared with $3.7 million a year ago;
• GEM revenue was up 55.5% for the quarter.
• Overall revenue decreased 16.5% to $2.1 million due to lower heat recovery revenues ;
• Gross margin increased to 68.2% of revenue compared to 43.0% for the same period last year due to increased GEM™ sales;
• Higher gross profit and lower operating expenses resulted in an improved bottom line compared with a year ago.

Q1 2017 Financial Review:
 
Revenue for the quarter was $2.1 million, representing a decrease of 16.5% compared to $2.6 million for the first quarter of last year. Despite a strong heat recovery order backlog, due to the timing of project implementation, heat recovery systems revenue decreased 55.9% as it included only the closing stages of an installation at a major hospital, as announced October 29, 2015 plus an installation at a major food producer, as announced May 3, 2016. Revenue from GEM condensate return systems increased 55.5% and included the partial conversion of a plant belonging to a Fortune 500 food and beverage company as well as revenues from the various orders mentioned in the Company’s news release dated September 20, 2016.
 
Gross profit for the quarter was approximately $1.5 million, an increase of 32.4% compared to $1.1 million in the first quarter a year earlier. The increase was attributable to the higher proportion of GEM product sales during the most recent quarter, which resulted in gross profit as a percentage of sales increasing to 68.2% from 43.0% a year earlier.
 
The higher gross profit combined with lower operating costs resulted in improved EBITDAS (defined as earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortization, impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, share-based compensation expense and net write down of lease) and a smaller net loss for the quarter. EBITDAS for the quarter was $3 thousand compared with negative $401 thousand a year earlier. The Company had a net loss of $80 thousand versus a net loss of $453 thousand in the first quarter of last year.
 
Adjusted operating cash flow (defined as net income for the period, plus items not involving cash, plus lease payments received) for the quarter was negative $79 thousand compared to negative $336 thousand a year earlier.
  
Order and Backlog Summary
 
On July 25, 2016, the Company announced that it had received an $840 thousand order from a multi-site hospital group to connect all four boiler plants at one of the customer’s three hospitals to an existing heat recovery system previously installed by Thermal Energy.
 
On August 4, 2016, the Company announced it had received $1,148 thousand in orders from a hospital trust, including an $868 thousand heat recovery system at one of the trust’s hospitals and a $280 thousand GEM order for another of the trust’s hospitals.
 
On August 8, 2016, the Company announced it had received a $750 thousand heat recovery order from one of the world’s largest beer companies.
 
On September 14, 2016, the Company announced it had received a $500 thousand GEM order from a new hospital customer.
 
On September 28, 2016, the Company announced it had received a $1.7 million order from a leading producer of industrial and fuel alcohols for the supply and installation of one of Thermal Energy’s proprietary FLU-ACE heat recovery systems, which will be used to heat a greenhouse being built adjacent to one of the customer’s ethanol plants.
 
The following orders were also received during the quarter or subsequent to quarter end:
 

• Four GEM orders totaling approximately $200 thousand from an international textiles manufacturer; 
• $190 thousand heat recovery order from a global mining and materials company (the Company previously sold a heat recovery system to this customer in fiscal 2014); 
• $452 thousand in GEM orders from a leading performance materials company, following the $404 thousand (including $96 thousand not yet included in revenue) in orders received during fiscal 2016; 
• $158 thousand GEM order from a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company; 
• $105 thousand GEM order from a multinational biotech company; 
• Six GEM orders totaling $103 thousand from a leading tire manufacturer; 
• $75 thousand heat recovery order from a food service packaging company (highlighted as an example of Thermal Energy’s ability to work creatively with the customer to develop a modified system that fits within their limited budget and addresses site-specific concerns related to high particulate matter in the heat source air stream); 
• $102 thousand GEM order from a leading food ingredients business.

 
Including the above mentioned orders, the Company had an order backlog of approximately $7.8 million as at October 18, 2016, compared to $3.7 million at the same time last year. The Company includes in “order backlog” the value of projects in respect of which purchase orders have been received but have not yet been reflected as revenue in the Company’s published quarterly financial statements.
  
About Thermal Energy International Inc.

Thermal Energy International Inc. is an established global supplier of proprietary, proven energy efficiency and emissions reduction solutions to the industrial and institutional sectors. The Company saves its customers money and improve their bottom line by reducing their fuel use and cutting their carbon emissions.  Customers include a large number of Fortune 500 and other leading multinational companies across a wide range of industry sectors.
 
For more information, visit the Company website at www.thermalenergy.com and follow @GoThermalEnergy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GoThermalEnergy.

This morning, Ottawa-based cleantech company, Thermal Energy International (TSX-V: TMG) reported its fiscal 2016 year end financial results. Highlights included:

• Revenue increased 82.4% to $12.4 million, with higher heat recovery systems and GEMTM Condensate return systems sales;
• Gross profit increased 87.3% to $6.8 million;
• Net income of $259 thousand, representing an improvement of $2.4 million;
• Positive adjusted operating cash flow of $710 thousand, representing an improvement of $2.1 million.

Hospitals' budgets are constantly under pressure. Programs have been cut, staff laid off or replaced with lower wage employees. Nurses are over-worked.  Waiting times continue to increase.  But wait, what if instead of cutting staff and essential services, hospitals became more energy-efficient?  That's right - instead of cuts to critical areas, hospitals could cut their energy bills using existing technologies.  And the energy savings that can be realized are substantial.

​Hospitals are among the most energy-intensive facilities. In terms of Btu per square foot, for example, inpatient health care facilities are the second most energy-intensive facility type across the United States, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Just what makes them so energy-intensive?  Well for starters, hospitals are open 24 hours a day and are occupied by hundreds or thousands of employees, patients, and visitors. They tend to have sophisticated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to control temperatures and air flow.  Moreover, many energy-intensive activities occur in hospitals: laundry, medical and lab equipment use, sterilization, food service, refrigeration, and computer and server use.

​Being proactive with energy management can generate opportunities for savings. Reducing energy consumption results in a dollar savings on utility bills. For example, an organization that has installed on-site renewable energy (and has retained ownership of that energy) could sell its Renewable Energy Credits to a utility that needs to meet Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). Another savings example is installation of light fixtures that use LED or CFL bulbs, which can save both energy and maintenance costs.

​Some of the possible improvements at the structure level are replacement of burners and use of stack economizers on boilers (15% to 20% of the energy used in a boiler plant is lost up the boiler stack), installing a cogeneration (or combined heat and power) system, converting mechanical steam traps over to venturi orifice steam traps, and more. Just by converting mechanical steam traps over to venturi orifice traps such as the GEM Trap can result in a 10% reduction in fuel costs.  

Again, we're talking about existing, proven technologies that can help hospitals save money by reducing their fuel bills while also lowering their greenhouse gas emissions. Take for instance, Thermal Energy International --- their energy efficiency solutions can increase the efficiency of a hospital's heating and steam system to as much as 95% with typical project paybacks (for their combined technologies) within three to five years.  

With as much as 50% of a hospital's total budget being directed towards energy spending, clearly there are some opportunities to be had. 

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – July 5, 2016 – Canadian cleantech company, Thermal Energy International (TSXV: TMG) is targeting the attractive cogeneration market by combining its proprietary FLU-ACE heat recovery technology and engineering expertise with existing power generation technologies to provide the highest efficiency combined heat and power (CHP or cogeneration) solution available.  

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 3, 2016 -- Thermal Energy International Inc. (TSX-V: TMG), a global provider of energy efficiency solutions to the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, today announced that it has received an order valued at approximately $1,015,000 from a leading food products business for the supply and installation of one of the Company’s proprietary FLU-ACE heat recovery systems. The order is expected to be fulfilled and revenue earned over the next six months.

“This order represents another example of our sales focus on customers with multiple needs that can be met with Thermal Energy’s proven solutions," CEO of Thermal Energy. “We first sold GEM steam traps to this customer in January of 2015. Not only did that GEM conversion exceed the customer’s expectations and generate savings faster than the project’s proposed payback period, it opened the door for this latest order. Our heat recovery technology is expected to generate even more savings for this customer and provide a project payback of under two years."

The FLU-ACE heat recovery system and GEM steam traps at this site are expected to generate combined savings of approximately $671 thousand annually, resulting in a combined project payback of just 1.6 years. 

In addition to the significant energy savings, the two technologies are expected to reduce the site’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2,621 tonnes. That is equivalent to the annual emissions from 552 automobiles or the carbon sequestered by 2,148 acres of forest. 

For more information on how Thermal Energy’s proprietary heat recovery systems have benefited food and beverage companies around the world, including several case studies, please visit the Company’s website at www.thermalenergy.com/food-and-beverage.

About Thermal Energy International Inc.

Thermal Energy International Inc. is an established global supplier of proprietary, proven energy efficiency and emissions reduction solutions to the industrial and institutional sectors worldwide. We save our customers money and improve their bottom line by reducing their fuel use and cutting their carbon emissions.  Our customers include a large number of Fortune 500 and other leading multinational companies across a wide range of industry sectors.

Thermal Energy is also a fully accredited professional engineering firm, and can offer advanced process and applications engineering services. The Company’s common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol TMG.