TEGnology to Lead the PtXellent Research Project on Industrial Waste Heat Recovery

We are proud to announce that TEGnology is leading the 3.5-year research and innovation project PtXellent, aimed at increasing the efficiency and economic performance of Power-to-X plants by converting excess heat into green electricity.

The project has secured a 15.9 million DKK investment from Innovationsfonden, highlighting its potential to advance Denmark’s green energy goals.

In Denmark’s push toward sustainable energy, electrolysis plays a vital role by transforming renewable sources like offshore wind into clean hydrogen for hard-to-electrify industries. However, current processes lose up to 40% of energy as waste heat, which diminishes overall efficiency and raises costs. As electrolysis capacity expands rapidly, harnessing this lost heat presents a key opportunity to generate additional green electricity and enhance the economic viability of Power-to-X (PtX) operations.

The PtXellent project aims to leverage this opportunity by integrating advanced thermoelectric generators (TEGs) into heat exchangers (HEs), creating a scalable solution that turns waste heat into electricity. Successful implementation could recover up to 500 GWh of energy each year, cut CO₂ emissions by approximately 100,000 tons, and significantly improve PtX system economics.

Statement from our CEO

“Thermoelectric power generation has demonstrated strong reliability and is recognised as CO₂-neutral, and in some cases even CO₂-negative, while remaining environmentally sustainable. However, the limited availability and high expense of the materials used in traditional thermoelectric generators have made large-scale industrial deployment economically challenging. Additionally, geopolitical instability and disruptions in global supply chains have reduced confidence in making major investments. We are introducing a viable and sustainable approach that fully integrates power generation into heat exchanger systems to transform waste heat into usable green electricity.”
— Hao Yin, CEO, TEGnology

Extending Impact Beyond Power-to-X

While the project is anchored in Power-to-X, the solution will be able to convert waste heat into electricity across multiple heat-intensive industries, including manufacturing, heavy industry, data centres, and advanced HVAC systems. The solution can operate independently or alongside district heating systems, expanding its overall impact.

Strong Industrial and Academic Collaboration

We are developing and validating this solution in collaboration with strong industrial and academic partners like Danfoss, Technical University of Denmark and University of Southern Denmark to develop and validate the solution.

Together, the consortium will design, model, test, and optimise a thermoelectric heat recovery system that can be deployed across multiple industries beyond Power-to-X, including heavy industry, energy infrastructure, and data centres.

Read the official announcement here.