Pioneering Better Solutions
Innovation is at the heart of how Bechtel builds a better world. We advance breakthrough technologies that tackle critical challenges in energy, mining, infrastructure, and renewables—from water recovery systems and automated solar installation to regenerative cooling technology for data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities. These innovations are not only improving how we deliver projects for customers but also creating a cleaner, safer, more efficient future for communities around the world.
Waste Desalination and Reuse Technology
Water scarcity is one of the world’s most pressing challenges. Our Low Energy Ejector Desalination System (LEEDS) offers a breakthrough solution—an energy-efficient process that recycles industrial wastewater into a reusable resource for farms, industry, and communities.
By making water reuse more accessible and affordable, LEEDS provides a sustainable alternative to conventional desalination, which is often too energy-intensive and costly for regions facing water stress. Our 2024 pilot project in the Permian Basin demonstrated:
- Up to 50% reduction in energy use compared to traditional desalination
- 400 barrels of produced water treated daily during operations
- Full achievement of targets for recovery, energy efficiency, and water quality
We are now advancing plans for a small commercial facility that will demonstrate the system’s capabilities at scale.
Regenerative Cooling Technology
Up to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Bechtel-developed Crescendō technology cuts energy use in HVAC systems by 5% by using a high-efficiency, regenerative cooling cycle to capture and reuse energy lost in current systems.
By replacing traditional vapor compression refrigeration, this technology helps reduce emissions by over 400 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. It also enables the use of less-toxic refrigerants that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and could even allow for the use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant instead of the hydrocarbon-based refrigerants used today.
For almost a decade, Bechtel, in partnership with Purdue University, has refined and validated its design. In 2024, researchers at Purdue used 3D computational fluid dynamics to model refrigerant behavior in Crescendō, marking the first time accurate computer models have simulated refrigerant behavior in 3D. Read more about Crescendō’s development and its impact in this Engineering News-Record article.
Crescendō made its commercial debut at a new cold storage facility in Dallas, Texas, where it’s helping efficiently cool four large cold-storage units in the 364,422-square-foot facility to temperatures between -20°F and 55°F. These units store temperature-sensitive products such as meat, dairy, and pharmaceuticals, demonstrating Crescendō’s effectiveness in real-world conditions.
Crescendō substantially reduces the energy use of HVAC systems, contributing to a more sustainable future. This technology also enhances Bechtel’s customer offerings and expertise in complex, energy-intensive markets such as data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities like semiconductor fabrication plants and battery production facilities.
Solid-Liquid Separation Technology
In partnership with Extrakt Process Solutions LLC, Bechtel is commercializing TNS — a breakthrough solid-liquid separation technology that recovers valuable minerals like lithium, copper, and gold from mine tailings (the byproducts of mining operations), reducing waste and water use in mining. TNS offers a sustainable and efficient solution to long-standing challenges in mining, including waste management, dewatering, and product recovery.
TNS uses less water, works faster, and is more cost-efficient than traditional methods at reintroducing these materials into the value chain. It also requires fewer resources, relies on a readily available non-toxic chemical solution, and is highly adaptable, particularly in high-clay environments. This makes it ideal for a variety of applications across the energy and mining sectors.
In 2024, pilot-scale testing showed strong results in hydrocarbon extraction, spillage cleanup, dewatering, and precious metal recovery applications. TNS has made significant advancements in chemistry, energy efficiency, product recovery, and water management, earning more than 40 global patents.
Automated Solar Installation Technology
In 2024, Bechtel received a $5 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to pilot Terafab, the world’s first automated digital field factory for solar power plant construction. Developed by Terabase Energy, this breakthrough technology is designed to significantly speed up and improve the safety of delivering mega-scale solar projects. This will be the first time this technology is used in Australia, helping to meet the country’s 82% renewable energy goal by 2030.
Terafab uses robots to automate the labor-intensive process of handling and installing large solar panels, which can weigh up to 90 pounds each. The system efficiently lifts panels onto a conveyor belt, transports them, and positions them for final installation. The innovative use of robotics ensures faster, safer, and more precise installation, reducing the risk of injury on-site.
Cutting-Edge Digital Execution
In 2024, Bechtel delivered the Cutlass Solar 2 project for our customer Sabanci Climate Technologies ahead of schedule by using a 100% digital delivery model — demonstrating what’s possible when data, automation, and expertise converge in the field.
Spanning 1,100 acres in Fort Bend, Texas, the 218-megawatt facility now powers 40,000 homes and businesses with clean energy. Bechtel’s team used autonomous rovers to mark pile locations and drones to streamline project delivery and boost field productivity. By improving survey and pile-driving efficiency by as much as sixfold, this tech-forward approach helped save hundreds of job hours while increasing safety and construction quality. Learn more about the process in this Engineering News-Record article.
With nearly 500,000 bifacial solar panels installed, Cutlass Solar 2 will save about 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, making it a model for fast, high-quality solar delivery. Watch a video about Bechtel’s smart digital delivery at Cutlass.