ENGIE New Ventures invests in Alpinov X, a start-up that uses water to produce cold

Press Release. The French start-up Alpinov X is poised to bring a technical innovation to life: generating cold through the use of water to enable the functioning of district cooling grids and data centres. For its cutting-edge technology, a turbocharger, the company has drawn on a fundamental principle for the purpose of developing an ultra-low pressure thermodynamic cycle, using water as the refrigerant. Current technologies use refrigerant gases that have high global warming potential (GWP) in the event of a leak and, in accordance with European regulations, will be banned between now and 2030.

Alpinov X’s technology furthermore makes it possible to increase the energy efficiency of cold production by nearly 30% compared to the best compressors on the market (reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation by as much).
Already, Alpinov X has developed a 500kWf prototype that is operational. In partnership with ENGIE, the start-up intends to develop and market a higher-capacity machine within a few years.

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