The DOE announced funding a $171 million investment in late January, funding 49 projects across 21 states to help cut industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS), along with industrial partners 3M, Buzzi Unicem USA and Amy’s Kitchen, were among the recipients of the award to decarbonize industrial heat in manufacturing, cement, food, chemicals and other sectors.
ETS will use the cost matching funds from the grant to build and operate the first commercial-scale pilot of its Joule Hive thermal battery (JHTB) in collaboration with SwRI at its industrial demonstration facilities in San Antonio, Texas.
Subsequently, the grant funds will support deployment of customer-sited JHTBs for integration into their operations with partners such as 3M, Buzzi Unicem, Amy’s Kitchen and other industrial collaborators. Project collaborator EPRI will lead analyses on lifecycle cost and techno-economy, and will be used to assist with third-party verification and identifying potential deployment sites. A diverse group of additional industrials are supporting the project as advisors includingNovelis (Aluminum), Imerys (Minerals), Entergy (Electric Utility) and Tennessee Valley Authority (Electric Utility), as well as leaders in the basic chemicals and steel production spaces.
As carbon emissions decline in power generation and transportation sectors, heavy industry stands as a notable exception, with a steady rise in emissions. Industrial heat processes, which contribute an estimated 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly rely on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS) has developed the Joule Hive Thermal Battery at MIT, aiming to deliver the most economically viable, zero carbon alternative, capable of harnessing clean energy-derived electricity to produce, store, and deliver emissions-free heat for industrial operations.
The JHTB will convert electricity to 1,800C temperature heat in ambient air conditions using its proprietary E-Brick heating elements, opening the door to decarbonising even the highest temperature industrial applications. With the JHTB, ETS is aiming to make zero carbon, competitively priced, on-demand, high-temperature industrial heat a tangible reality for the entire industrial heating market from lower temperature steam and drying applications to the highest temperature demands of the steel, cement and glass industries.
“We believe the breadth and depth of involvement from our industrial partners like 3M, Buzzi Unicem USA and Amy’s Kitchen was critical to demonstrate to the DOE just how valuable the Joule Hive thermal battery will be for industrial decarbonisation, and we are grateful for their partnership said Daniel Stack, Co-founder and CEO of Electrified Thermal Solutions. “SwRI’s engineering support and world class industrial demonstration facilities signaled to the DOE that our technology will be developed, built, operated, tested and evaluated to the highest standards. Now, with the DOE behind us and a world class partnership consortium, we will demonstrate that ETS’s Joule Hive Thermal Battery can durably deliver clean heat at temperatures hot enough for any industrial process.”
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