ENERTIME and STOLECT win the call for sustainable sports-infrastructure solutions

In October 2023 the Île-de-France Region, working with the Solar Impulse Foundation, Engie and Enedis, launched a call for solutions to decarbonise sports infrastructure. The initiative combined technological excellence, environmental sustainability and social commitment in support of a more sustainable future for sport.

ENERTIME and STOLECT stood out among the applicants and were selected as winners. Both companies are France Cleantech Industries members and represent the innovative industrial SMEs working on the energy transition.

ENERTIME and STOLECT meet demanding selection criteria

The winning solutions were assessed against around forty competing entries. Criteria included the ability to scale to large sports facilities, adapt to existing infrastructure, integrate into new and evolving sites and offer reversible equipment. The ability to use ambient air was also valued as an environmentally responsible design principle.

Two innovative solutions

Founded in Courbevoie in 2008, ENERTIME is a global specialist in industrial waste-energy recovery. It designs and manufactures high-temperature heat pumps and Organic Rankine Cycle machines. Its very-high-temperature heat pumps had reached technology-readiness level 8, with two industrial pilots then under development and a target of reaching TRL 9 by the end of 2024. ENERTIME technologies had already been selected in two Horizon Europe projects.

For the call, ENERTIME proposed heat pumps delivering from 3 MWth to replace gas boilers used to heat sports facilities. As one of the few French companies designing its own compressors and turbines, it can tailor machines to each application, scale them and integrate them into existing infrastructure.

STOLECT, based in Rueil-Malmaison, develops a Carnot battery for large-scale electricity storage through thermal conversion. Electricity compresses and heats air circulating through the plant; the hot air then heats refractory materials such as natural rocks or recycled ceramics. When power is required, a turbine converts the stored heat back into electricity.

A STOLECT system can replace a gas- or oil-fired power plant by turning variable renewable generation into dispatchable electricity. This makes it relevant to industrial, commercial and large sports facilities that need backup generators for consumption peaks. STOLECT was building its first industrial-scale 1 MW / 5 MWh system at an SNCF site in Rennes and planning larger systems.

Next steps for the winners

The two Île-de-France companies were given the opportunity to test their solutions with Enedis and Engie. This was an important step towards practical, sustainable innovation for sport and the environment.

The winners were also invited to Viva Technology 2024 in Paris, Europe’s major start-up and technology event. Their success had already been recognised with a speaking opportunity at the Île-de-France Region’s Innovation Day on 2 February, attended by Valérie Pécresse and Bertrand Piccard.

Gilles David, then President of Enertime and France Cleantech Industries

“The success of two FCI members sends a strong signal to our community of industrial SMEs. They need partnerships with public authorities and major energy companies to develop the technologies the world needs and that France will export tomorrow.

Recognition from the region where ENERTIME creates most of its value is major support for building an industrial champion in Île-de-France. STOLECT is an innovative company with which we have worked for several years and fully deserves this selection. Together with FCI members in the region, Engie and Enedis, we can make Île-de-France a leading contributor to the global energy transition.”

Jean-François Le Romancer, STOLECT director and then FCI Vice-President

“The entire STOLECT team is proud to have won this call for solutions. It recognises our ambition to decarbonise energy systems worldwide through large-scale long-duration renewable-energy storage and to create a new French and European industrial sector.

We are also delighted to be recognised alongside ENERTIME, a company we know well and already work with. Our involvement in France Cleantech Industries reflects a shared commitment to developing the industrial companies essential to a successful energy transition.

We thank the Île-de-France Region, the Solar Impulse Foundation, Enedis, Engie and every project partner. We look forward to working together and bringing new projects to life.”