Until now, there was no efficient way for industries generating excess heat to provide it to nearby users who need it. This could provide potential income for the heat "source," and a way to lower heat-based emissions for the heat "sinks" consuming it.

Now the EMB3Rs platform, a tool that matches thermal energy sources with potential demand, offers an effective way for these heat sources and heat sinks to find each other.

After registering at the platform's website, users such as industries that produce waste heat can provide parameters such as their location and their available excess thermal energy. The platform then calculates capacities and maps the demand and supply of waste heat. Thus, it is able to suggest the most cost-effective option to connect potential energy providers with users.

"EMB3RS is the Uber of excess heat," says project coordinator Mafalda Silva from Inegi, an industry-oriented Research and Technology Organization based in Portugal.

"There is a lot of potential in reusing excess heat. On one hand, in industry and beyond industry, there are a lot of excess heat producers who don't know what to do with this energy. On the other hand, there is also a lot of demand, often nearby, for this excess heat. EMB3RS aims to bring these two sides together and presents the best solutions to recover, transport, and reuse excess thermal energy."

The platform is urgently needed to unlock the potential of waste heat, support the shift from fossil fuels, reduce energy prices and simultaneously cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a high interest is expected by the experts involved in the platform.