Hydro One

Problem:

Water scarcity is already a global issue that affects more than 40% of the world population. Moreover, Chile was ranked among the 20 nations with the highest water stress in 2021. This crisis has caused an increase in the price of the water, in addition to the cost of energy, such as natural gas. In the Europe Union, the average gas prices went around 6.4 euros in 2021, increasing 25% in just half year of 2022.

Idea:

Hydro One comes to collect the steam from the exhaust gases emitted by a single home boiler. This result can be done by using a special chamber that exchanges the heat from the steam in the exhaust gases to the water pipes of the heating pipework that re-enter the boiler. This is accomplished by using the latent heat from the condensation, without making direct contact between the pipe and the exhaust gases. The water condensed in the chamber goes into a tank so it can be stored for future use.

Main Beneficiaries:

Our beneficiaries of our project are the people which make use of non-condensing combi boilers for their homes, especially for the use for the heating system, that are being affected by the price rising in oil, water and electricity due to the war in Ukraine, economic sanctions and climate change. At the moment, there are more than 100 million boilers already installed in the Europe Union, of which nearly half of them are old and with a lower efficiency, that can be assisted by our service. On the other hand, considering an external nation, the United Kingdom sustains nearly 70% of calefaction in natural gas.

Stage:

Inspiration and ideation

SDG:

GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

University:

Pontificia Universidad Católica (Chile)