The "Clean Energy" Movement Might Be Neglecting A Crucial Energy Spender – Could This Be An Opportunity For Early Players?

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Consumer awareness of the human impact on the planet is on the rise, and global demand for green technology is growing alongside it. 

In a report titled Green Technology and Sustainability Market, Fortune Business Insights reports that the green tech market will rise to $41.2 billion by 2028 while exhibiting an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3%. 

Several industries are implicated in this movement. The World Economy Forum, for example, directly confronted the growing carbon footprint of cryptocurrency mining in 2021, while the automotive industry saw a huge increase in demand for up-and-coming electronic vehicle manufacturers Lucid Group Inc. LCID and Rivian Automotive Inc. RIVN as consumers developed an environmentally conscious appetite for their cars.

Despite clear improvement in sustainability practices across different industries, some energy-depleting activities have arguably been left largely unnoticed by consumers. One of these is the air compression industry. According to Carnot Compression, industrial air compressors in the U.S. consume over 12% of manufacturing electricity consumption or 399 trillion British thermal units (BTU). 

Carnot goes on to explain that around the globe, “compressors driven by electric motors are estimated to consume 32% of the electricity consumption from electric motor driven systems or 2,267 terawatt-hours per year in 2006.” At $0.10 per kWh, $227 billion is spent each year on compression, which drains the operating expenses of businesses that use a compressor daily. 

This is where Carnot says the Carnot® Compressor comes in. Carnot states that its air compressor aims to revolutionize the compressor industry — doing away with oil, multiple moving parts, and damage to components caused by the heat of compression. The company believes that this patented process has the potential to significantly reduce energy use and the total cost of ownership for compressors. 

Just How Common Are Compressors Anyway? 

Air compressors have a wide variety of use cases in both professional and home environments. You use air compressors to pump tires, blow up balloons, inflate air mattresses, and top-off sports equipment. You use them for pressure washing your car, cleaning your driveway, and cleaning crevices and tight spaces. You’re unlikely to find a skilled carpenter who hasn’t used air compressors to power their nail guns or sand woodwork. 

Across businesses, air compressors are used in the following activities:

• Painting vehicles in an auto body shop
• Using pneumatic nail guns for roofing
• Providing dental or medical services 
• Using pneumatic drills on constructions sites
• Powering air tools in an automotive repair shop
• Sandblasting in a machine shop and manufacturing facilities 

A look into their uses in different industries yields a similar result. Air compressors are used in everything from agriculture, farming, manufacturing, and dry cleaning to pharmaceuticals, energy exploration, food and beverages, and amusement parks. 

The Carnot Story

“Carnot has developed a patented process that is capable of compressing air in an isothermal manner. This allows for a constant temperature and improves the technology to one, single moving part,” says Carnot’s StartEngine webpage. 

“By efficiently capturing the heat from compression, we’re able to greatly reduce the operating cost — and thanks to the simplicity of our design — total costs of ownership are driven down, allowing our customers to focus on their core competencies,” the website continues. 

In an industry dominated by large companies such as Ingersoll Rand Inc. IR and Atlas Copco ATLKY, Carnot says its mission is to disrupt the status quo and introduce a sustainable and superior alternative to current air compressor solutions.

Riding alongside the growth in the green tech movement, the air compressor market is projected to surpass $40 billion by 2025, with the oil-free compression segment – a focus of Carnot’s – representing around a third of the sector. 

Carnot claims that its progress has been fueled by multiple million-dollar grants from the National Science Foundation and the California Energy Commission, which has greatly accelerated its development and the near-commercial state of its machine.  

For more on the company and its potential rise, click here.  

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