Used Cooking Oil Gets New Life through Vegawatt

by Susan Davis on 12/06/09 at 7:44 am

Green and cheap

Waste cooking oil is being reformulated, thanks to a partnership agreement between two Massachusetts firms, Columbia Tech and Owl Power, who will work together to manufacture Owl Power’s Vegawatt cogeneration system. 

Vegawatt uses leftover deep-fryer cooking oil from restaurants and other food service facilities as a readily available source of fuel to generate on-site electricity and hot water for businesses.  Restaurants using this system can recycle their used oil to produce up to 25 percent of their own electricity and hot water, saving thousands of dollars in annual utility costs, as well as providing a clean, renewable energy source. 

“As Owl Power expands, we need a flexible manufacturing partner that will evolve with us,” said James Peret, President and CEO, Owl Power, in a statement to ECNMag.com. “Columbia Tech’s ability to accommodate Owl Power’s rapid development makes the company an ideal partner to build the Vegawatt system, and a valuable long-term partner for our overall business.”

Vegawatt is fully automatic, requires no staff intervention, maintenance or additional chemicals, and produces no liquid byproducts. 

In January, Owl Power installed its first combined heat and power unit at Finz Seafood & Grill in Dedham, Massachusetts.