In late January, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a US$171m investment, 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 Army’s Kitchen, were among the recipients of the award to decarbonise 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 ERPI will lead analyses on lifecycle cost and techno-economy, and will be used to assist with third-party verification and identifying potential deployment sites.
The JHTB developed at MIT offers 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, claims ETS. The JHTB is unique among alternative solutions in having demonstrated the ability to convert electricity to 1800˚C temperature heat in ambient air conditions using its proprietary E-Brick heating elements, opening the door to decarbonising even the highest temperature industrial applications.
Massimo Toso, president and CEO Buzzi Unicem USA, said: “ETS’s Joule Hive™ Thermal Battery is the first industrial heat decarbonisation solution we have identified that could potentially enable us to cost effectively and completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our heating processes and achieve our corporate decarbonisation goals.”
