Revolutionizing Solar Thermal Energy with Next-Generation ORC Technology
Pioneering research in Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) based solar thermal panels to create more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective renewable energy solutions.
Advancing the future of solar thermal energy
Project Ember is dedicated to developing cutting-edge Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology for solar thermal applications. Our research focuses on creating more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solar thermal panels that can generate electricity from solar heat with unprecedented efficiency.
Organic Rankine Cycle technology offers significant advantages over traditional solar thermal systems. By using organic fluids with lower boiling points, our panels can operate efficiently at lower temperatures, making them more practical for residential and commercial applications.
Innovative ORC-based solar thermal solutions
Our ORC system will operate efficiently at temperatures as low as 80°C, making it suitable for various applications and climates.
We will use environmentally safe organic working fluids that are non-toxic and have minimal environmental impact.
We will implement water electrolysis to store energy for times when solar energy cannot perform as well, providing reliable backup power generation.
Advanced sensors and control systems will optimize performance and provide real-time monitoring and diagnostics.
Scalable modular architecture will allow for easy installation and maintenance across different system sizes.
Proven ORC technology will be enhanced with durability and long-term performance guarantees.
Pushing the boundaries of solar thermal technology
This phase is to do background research on the topic, the goal is to try to understand what efforts have been made towards Solar thermal technology using ORC.
Using the background research create design requirements, design the prototype and build the prototype.
Run tests on the prototype to see how it performs in the field.
Last phase is to publish the results of this study, present in conferences, and pitch the idea to investors.
Leading experts in renewable energy and thermal systems
Lead Researcher
Senior at Virginia Tech University, pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science
Project Advisor
Professor at VT, 25+ years of research experience in Fluid Mechanics, Heat transfer, and Sustainable Energy
Join us in revolutionizing solar thermal energy
We're looking for individuals that are enthusiastic about researching and developing new ideas through academic journals and papers. People with a strong interest in Fluids and Heat transfer are recommended to apply.
We need people to get their hands dirty, we're looking for aspiring engineers to help design and build a prototype of the Solar Thermal System.
We need people to document and market our process of building this idea. We want our voice heard online and present ourselves to the right audience.
Interested in our research? Want to collaborate or learn more about Project Ember?