The Heat is Power Association is a new US industry coalition formed by almost two dozen companies that are in the business of converting waste heat from industry into electricity. While the concept is not new, the forming of an association is expected to encourage recovery of waste heat, an activity that is generally considered to be as valuable as installing renewable energy systems.  The Association claims that recovery of power from waste heat could produce as much as $3 billion in annual savings for American industry, create 160,000 new American jobs, and generate a significant amount of previously unrealized emission-free electricity.

The Association brings together two aspects that GallonDaily especially commends:

• an association of companies promoting more sustainable technologies, rather than waiting for government to promote the technology or competing in a way that reduces the effectiveness of each other’s messages [the members of Heat is Power Association are still competitors but are working together on a common theme that energy from waste power is environmentally sustainable and economically worthwhile].
• industry taking the lead on research and on development of an element of US energy policy that promises to provide jobs and environmental benefits.

Members of the Association include GE Energy, Alliance Pipeline, Guardian, The Smardt Chiller Group, Gulf Coast Green Energy, Hyundai Ideal Electric Co., and more.  Maybe this is an initiative that can be followed by other clean technology industry sectors in both the US and Canada.

 Many more details, including case studies and a complete list of member companies, at http://www.heatispower.org/