Rafako S.A., a leading manufacturer of power-generating equipment in Europe, supported by InnoEnergy, the European innovation engine for sustainable energy, has successfully completed a feasibility study for its €4.2 million Polygen project.
Polygen is a ground-breaking synthetic natural gas plant, which will help local communities reduce air pollution and achieve energy independence simultaneously. The feasibility study assessed Polygen’s business model and technological capabilities, as well as the need for any additional pre-launch development.
Rafako now plans to build a full-scale Polygen facility that will process waste to generate electrical energy and heat. Slated for completion in 2019, the unique solution – which produces gas through methanation – can operate year-round enabling gas surpluses to be transferred to local networks.
Thanks to the support of InnoEnergy we have acquired technology from France and Spain, moved our project through a successful feasibility study, and created interest from potential pan-European customers. This study proves that Polygen has the potential to become one of the energy industry’s most important environmental solutions by improving Europe’s air quality,” states Agnieszka Wasilewska-Semail, CEO and general director at Rafako.
Jakub Miler, CEO of InnoEnergy Poland Plus, adds: “From its inception, InnoEnergy has focussed on commercialising sustainable energy solutions that improve efficiency and limit the negative impact of energy production on the environment.
“Smog isn’t a new problem. More than 80 per cent of Europe’s urban inhabitants breathe air that exceeds pollution norms determined by the World Health Organisation. The success of the feasibility assessment, as well as the participation of Rafako, guarantees that this project will not end with a pilot study but a commercial product that will be competitive on the global market.”
The venture arose as a result of cooperation between Rafako and Exergon. The consortium was then joined by companies and institutions interested in creating and testing new technologies: Tauron Wytwarzanie (Poland), EQTEC (Spain), CEA and ATMOSTAT (France) as well as the Chemical Processing of Coal Institute in Zabrze – ICHPW (Poland).
About InnoEnergy
InnoEnergy is the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe.
The challenge is big, but our goal is simple: to achieve a sustainable energy future for Europe. Innovation is the solution. New ideas, products and services that make a real difference, new businesses and new people to deliver them to market.
At InnoEnergy we support and invest in innovation at every stage of the journey – from classroom to end-customer. With our network of partners we build connections across Europe, bringing together inventors and industry, graduates and employers, researchers and entrepreneurs, businesses and markets.
We work in three essential areas of the innovation mix:
- Education to help create an informed and ambitious workforce that understands the demands of sustainability and the needs of industry.
- Innovation Projects to bring together ideas, inventors and industry to create commercially attractive technologies that deliver real results to customers.
- · Business Creation Services to support entrepreneurs and start-ups who are expanding Europe’s energy ecosystem with their innovative offerings.
Bringing these disciplines together maximises the impact of each, accelerates the development of market-ready solutions, and creates a fertile environment in which we can sell the innovative results of our work.