During a ceremony held on February 3th 2015 at the GE innovation Centre in Calgary,  Aster Thermoacoustics was announced as one of four winners of the first phase of General Electric’s two phase  “Ecomagination Innovation Challenge” with winning submissions addressing alternative uses for waste heat from SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage), ultimately reducing greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions in Canadian oil sands.

Image credits: Todd Korol

During the ceremony  Kees de Blok received the challenge award from Elyse Allan, President and CEO of GE Canada and John Rice, vice chairman of GE.

Beside a cash prize of $25,000 Aster Thermoacoustics and the other winners get an offer for another $100,000 in co-development funding to bring their idea’s to application in the oils sands.

Details and background of the challenge and of the other winners may be found on   https://gereports.ca/ghg-ecomagination-innovation-challenge-winners.

The  event also get large attention of the press as can be read for example in this copy from an article in the Daily Oil Bulletin and links to the COSIA newsletter and Benelux press release