Imagine a battery, but instead of storing electricity, it stores extreme heat — up to 2000°C — in special materials that melt and solidify to lock energy in. Today's best heat storage tops out around 1000°C and holds far less energy per kilogram. The AMADEUS team created new silicon-boron materials that store 2-4 MJ per kilogram (roughly ten times more than current salts), plus a clever device that converts that stored heat directly into electricity using light and heat effects combined.
Current thermal energy storage systems max out around 1000°C and use salt-based materials that store relatively little energy per kilogram. Industries dealing with extreme heat — concentrated solar power, metallurgy, glass manufacturing — cannot efficiently store or convert thermal energy above that threshold. This leaves massive amounts of high-temperature energy either wasted or requiring expensive, complex conversion systems.
The team built and tested new silicon-boron phase change materials with 2-4 MJ/kg latent heat, a full experimental assembly for ultra-high temperature storage up to 2000°C, prototype hybrid thermionic-photovoltaic (TIPV) converter devices, and an upgraded high-temperature electronic characterization system (VTEC).
If you are a concentrated solar power operator struggling with energy storage limits at temperatures below 1000°C — this project developed phase change materials operating up to 2000°C with latent heat of 2-4 MJ/kg, roughly an order of magnitude above today's salt-based systems. That means far more compact storage for the same energy output, potentially shrinking your thermal storage footprint dramatically.
If you are a steel, glass, or ceramics manufacturer losing massive amounts of waste heat above 1000°C — this project built materials and insulation designed for ultra-high temperature containment up to 2000°C. The hybrid thermionic-photovoltaic converter can turn that waste heat directly into electricity without moving parts, opening a recovery path for temperatures no commercial system handles today.
If you are an energy storage company looking to leapfrog lithium-ion for grid-scale or industrial applications — AMADEUS demonstrated proof-of-concept materials storing 2-4 MJ/kg of latent heat, dwarfing conventional salt-based storage. The project also delivered a working prototype of a solid-state heat-to-power converter, offering a new technology path for extremely compact, high-density thermal batteries.
The project did not publish cost estimates or economic analyses. As a proof-of-concept effort under FET Open funding, the focus was on demonstrating feasibility of the materials and devices rather than commercial pricing. Any cost projection would require further engineering and scale-up work.
Not yet. AMADEUS operated at proof-of-concept scale, demonstrating a full experiment assembly and TIPV converter devices in laboratory conditions. Scaling from lab to industrial size at temperatures up to 2000°C would require significant engineering of containment, insulation, and manufacturing processes.
The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under FET Open, coordinated by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. IP would be held by the consortium partners under their grant agreement terms. Licensing discussions would need to go through the coordinating university and relevant partners.
Based on the project objective, the silicon-boron phase change materials deliver 2-4 MJ/kg of latent heat, described as an order of magnitude greater than typical salt-based PCMs. Current commercial salt systems operate below 1000°C — AMADEUS targets up to 2000°C.
The consortium delivered a full experiment assembly, final TIPV (thermionic-photovoltaic) devices for proof-of-concept experiments, and an upgraded VTEC system for high-temperature electronic characterization. These represent laboratory-scale demonstrations, not pilot installations.
Based on available project data, no specific regulatory compliance work was reported. Ultra-high temperature thermal storage at 2000°C would face significant safety certification requirements for containment, materials handling, and building codes that would need to be addressed in any commercialization pathway.
The consortium includes 7 partners across 6 countries (Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Norway, Poland), with 1 industry partner and 1 SME. The 14% industry ratio and FET Open funding scheme confirm this is primarily a research-driven effort with limited industrial involvement at this stage.
The AMADEUS consortium brings together 7 partners from 6 European countries (Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Norway, Poland), led by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The team is heavily research-oriented: 3 universities and 3 research organizations, with only 1 industry partner (14% industry ratio) and 1 SME. This composition is typical for FET Open projects exploring breakthrough science rather than near-market technology. For a business looking to adopt this technology, expect that significant additional engineering partnerships and industrial scale-up investment would be needed before any commercial product emerges.
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the research team
Want to explore how ultra-high temperature thermal storage could fit your energy strategy? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the AMADEUS research team and provide a tailored technology brief.
