Waste is ‘officially’ dual use. Years of talking energy security is finally resonating. It is starting to sink in, that waste is profoundly underestimated as a resource – hiding in plain sight. Now NATO wants to understand how it can contribute to energy security and resilience across the Alliance.
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Boson Energy and Odysseus Space in Diana. Photo credit Luxinnovation[/caption]
Boson Energy is one of only six ‘DIANA Innovators’ globally, selected from almost 400 applicants in the Energy & Power Challenge. This from a total of 150 Innovators selected from 3,688 applications to a range of different Challenges (communication systems, autonomous systems, critical infrastructure, logistics, biotechnology, space operations, and several others. DIANA stands for Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, and is an initiative to develop and support deeptech startups in the Alliance to market. See the full list here: https://www.diana.nato.int/about-diana/2026-cohort-of-companies.html
To understand the magnitude, the 230+ million tons of non-recyclable waste produced in the EU by 2035, if deployed in electrification of transport, holds the potential to offset all 440 million barrels of diesel consumed by trucks and buses in the EU. If we look at Sustainable Aviation Fuels, the potential is over 40 million tons of SAF per year, twice the EU mandate of 20-25 Mt by 2050. On top of that, the waste heat collected from these processes, could replace a quarter of all household heating from natural gas in the EU.
Very importantly, this can be done at fossil competitive cost, including carbon capture - with room for attractive project returns. Needless to say, the environmental benefits are major.
When we start unlocking landfill mining, we are talking 6 billion tons of waste, and a potential of 11 billion barrels of diesel, which is roughly 4x the recoverable resources of Johan Sverdrup, the largest oil field in Western Europe. On the heat side, the potential is 10x Romania’s Neptun Deep, the new and biggest gas field in the EU.
Paperjam and Thierry Labro is first on the ball as usual. Read about it here: https://lnkd.in/dBSBDA77 and in French: https://lnkd.in/d_HSfA73 In the US, industry publication Waste360 picked up the story with a more international focus https://www.waste360.com/waste-to-energy/europe-is-missing-out-on-the-energy-security-potential-of-its-waste-and-nato-wants-it-unlocked
About NATO DIANA: NATO DIANA finds and accelerates cutting-edge technologies to deliver battle-winning defence and security solutions for the Alliance, while fostering deep-tech innovation. As a cornerstone of NATO’s innovation and technology strategy, DIANA brings together world-class talent and the latest advancements to maintain the Alliance’s technological edge. Leveraging a network of leading accelerator sites, test centres, expert mentors, and Allied expertise across 32 nations, DIANA empowers innovators working at the