MNN - Mother Nature Network

Vegetable oil’s use as an energy-producing product is not new.  Cars across the United States run on waste vegetable oil from restaurants.  Restaurants can now harness the power of their own waste vegetable oil by installing a Vegawatt system from Owl Power Company.

 

A Vegawatt system allows restaurants to recycle their used vegetable oil to provide both power and hot water to their place of business.  The unit is placed outside of the building and is designed to provide 10 to 25% of the power needs for a restaurant that runs three to five deep fryers. 

 

Important notes about the Vegawatt system:
• The system does not produce biodiesel as biodiesel involves the use of harmful chemicals.
• The process is non-flammable and non-toxic.
• There are no liquid byproducts produced during the conversion process so the restaurant can reduce its waste.
• The system is easy-to-use and requires no maintenance by restaurant staff.

 

Finz Seafood & Grill, located in Massachusetts, was the first restaurant to install the Vegawatt system.  George Carey, owner of the restaurant, installed the product in December 2008 and is pleased with its performance. 

"My largest line-item expense is runaway utility costs. The Vegawatt™ system enables me to significantly reduce my energy costs, generate clean energy on-site, and very importantly, reduce the heavy energy footprint of my restaurant."  Source: Vegawatt

The beauty of this unit is that it is easily installed in existing restaurants but can also be implemented into a new restaurant build.