Imagine a giant thermal battery that doesn't just store heat, but can also boost its temperature like a built-in heater. It uses a mix of special materials that soak up heat like a sponge and others that hold it like a block of ice. This allows factories to save excess heat from their machines and use it later, even if the temperature needs to be higher.
Industrial manufacturing produces massive amounts of waste heat that cannot be used efficiently due to temperature mismatches and timing gaps. Additionally, intermittent renewable energy leads to production gaps that threaten industrial stability.
A 2-in-1 Thermal Energy Storage System (TESS) proof-of-concept that integrates Thermochemical Materials (TCM) and Phase Change Materials (PCM) with built-in heat pump capabilities.
If you are a heavy industrial plant dealing with high GHG emissions and waste heat—this project developed a TESS that allows for the cascaded use of waste heat. This creates more resilient industrial parks and helps decarbonize the sector responsible for ~20% of EU emissions.
If you are a municipal energy provider dealing with intermittent wind and solar supply—this project developed a storage system with a storage density of 0.5 GJ/m³ at lab-scale. This helps decouple energy generation from production to ensure a consistent heat supply.
If you are an estate operator dealing with a mismatch between heat demand and supply schedules—this project developed a 2-in-1 TESS that functions as both storage and a heat pump. This facilitates coupling industrial sectors with district heating for better energy efficiency.
Based on available project data, the system is designed to reduce investment costs and increase returns for industrial facilities by enhancing energy efficiency and self-sufficiency.
Based on available project data, the system is currently at a lab-scale level with a proof-of-concept undergoing validation.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on developing innovative TCM and PCM materials and a 2-in-1 TESS design, though specific licensing terms are not mentioned.
The system mitigates the curtailment of renewable energy by storing excess electricity as thermal energy, ensuring a consistent supply for industrial processes.
The project period runs from 2023-10-01 to 2027-09-30.
The consortium consists of 6 partners across 5 countries, showing a strong European research footprint. It is heavily weighted toward research and academia, with 2 universities and 3 research organizations, while only 17% of the consortium is industrial (1 SME). This suggests the project is currently in a high-science phase with limited industrial scaling at this stage.
Contact the Academia Europea di Bolzano in Italy
Contact us to track the transition of Muspell from lab-scale to industrial pilot.
