Startup aims to revolutionize industrial development with high-tech bricks — here’s how it works

A New Startup Aims to Decarbonize and Electrify Industrial Development

A new California-based startup company, Calectra, has developed a plan to address one of the biggest challenges in industrial development – decarbonizing and electrifying industrial heat. According to Canary Media, Calectra’s solution involves the use of superheated bricks to generate both light and heat, which can be used in industrial processes that require high temperatures.

The Challenge of Electrifying High-Temperature Industrial Heating

While lower-temperature industrial heating has seen progress in terms of electrification and sustainability, processes that require higher temperatures, such as glass-making or smelting metals, have proven to be more difficult to electrify. The air needed to achieve these high temperatures is energy-intensive to heat, and the level of electricity required is often cost-prohibitive without the use of fossil fuels like natural gas or coal.

Calectra’s Solution: Electrified Bricks

Calectra’s innovative solution involves electrifying and superheating special bricks. By directly electrifying these bricks, they generate both light and heat. The hot air produced around the superheated bricks can then be used to heat industrial processes that require high temperatures.

The Potential Impact and Sustainable Development Goals

Industrial heat accounts for one-quarter of global energy consumption and represents a massive $450 billion market. Decarbonizing industrial heat presents a significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Calectra’s technology, if successful, could contribute to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Next Steps for Calectra

Calectra’s technology is still in the early stages of development. The company plans to expand its team to test ideal materials for its processes and scale up testing to ensure the viability of its solution for industrial production.

The Importance of Electrified Bricks for Climate Change

By providing a low-cost and zero-carbon solution for high-temperature heat, Calectra’s electrified bricks have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The success of this technology could contribute to mitigating climate change and achieving a more sustainable future.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption

• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable
• Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emissions per unit of value added in manufacturing industries and construction

• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the strengthening of institutional, systemic, and individual capacity-building to implement adaptation, mitigation, and technology transfer

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under the identified SDGs are:

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators. However, the following indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption
• Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emissions per unit of value added in manufacturing industries and construction
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the strengthening of institutional, systemic, and individual capacity-building to implement adaptation, mitigation, and technology transfer

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thecooldown.com