Houston company hoping to convert waste from pipelines into electricity

HOUSTON — When Mihir Desu thinks about the mazes of pipelines that zigzag across Houston and its industrial complexes, he doesn’t think about what they’re transporting or where they’re going. He thinks of their wasted potential.

Thousands of megawatts of unharnessed electricity could be generated at their intersections, where pipeline operators must adjust the pressure of gases and liquids as they’re transported along vast networks. But by installing a few devices at just one of these junctures, companies could harness 1 to 15 megawatts — enough electricity to power 200 to 3,000 homes.

This month, Desu and his team at Pressure Corp. announced they would begin offering the ability to convert that waste into electricity. The technology is not new, Desu said, but the cost of installing the machines to make it work has dropped, in part because the Trump administration made them eligible for federal investment tax credits, similar to those offered for solar and wind projects.

“These projects have been studied before, but one core issue has been that the cost of their capital is too high for the opportunity,” Desu said. “But now you have a mechanism to reduce the capital costs of these projects.”

Pressure Corp., which is partially

housed in the Greentown Labs’ climate-tech incubator in Midtown, is not in the business of manufacturing the turboexpanders, generators, heaters or other machines used to convert the pressure into electricity. Instead, its team sifts through a facility’s data to complete feasibility studies and write up risk analyses. Then it helps purchase and install the tools companies would need to begin generating electricity.

All told, installing one of the generating systems could cost $5 million to $15 million. But with the tax incentives, Desu said, 26 percent of the project’s cost could be written off until Jan. 1, 2023. After that, the incentive would decrease to 22 percent until the program tentatively expires in January 2024.

“If companies want to take advantage of these incentives, we’re open for business,” he said. “We’re ready and waiting.”

Colonial Pipeline / AFP via Getty Images Pressure Corp. uses a facility’s data to complete feasibility studies and write up risk analyses. Then it helps purchase and install the tools companies need to begin generating electricity.

Brett Coomer / Staff photographer Mihir Desu, co-founder of Pressure Corp., says the cost of the process is reduced.