Recycling waste heat to cool down the planet

A renewable energy company founded in 2008, Orcan Energy offers standard components for heat power generators that recycle waste heat by turning it into electricity, using the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), a process similar to that used in steam engines. Having started as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany, Orcan now has 65 employees. Patents are important, because the risk of Orcan’s standard components being copied is high. Eight early patents were filed by the TUM and then subsequently acquired by Orcan. Ownership of these patents was vital in order to attract funding. Orcan co-operates with other companies, but simplifies patent management by avoiding joint ownership. It has a detailed patent protection strategy and understands when to file a patent application and where to file it.