Energy Scouts win with innovative waste heat utilization idea

How can young talent and sustainable innovation go hand in hand? Our apprentices Francesco Stagliano and Finn Jasper Hennings provided an impressive answer to this question – and secured 1st place in the Energy Scout competition organized by the Braunschweig Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Braunschweig).

As part of the qualification program, the two developed a project for the utilization of industrial waste heat. The goal: to convert waste heat into electrical energy using a thermoelectric generator composed of multiple peltier elements.

A direct test on a production system was unfortunately not possible due to legal regulations. Therefore, the experiment was conducted in a simulated environment. Using creative methods – including tea lights and a cooling pad to generate the required temperature difference – they were able to obtain initial measurements and analyze them effectively.

At the grand closing event on March 19, 2025 in Wolfsburg, all submitted projects were officially presented, and the most convincing one was awarded. Francesco and Finn Jasper had already presented their project, “Industrial Waste Heat Utilization,” to the jury in competition with 15 other apprentices from the region. Their contribution stood out due to its innovative spirit, technical understanding, and a clear vision: identify energy losses in production, utilize them efficiently, and thus conserve resources.