Imagine a giant thermal battery that stores electricity as heat in molten salts. Instead of using chemicals like lithium, it uses a special high-pressure CO2 fluid to move heat around efficiently. It can even soak up leftover heat from factories to boost its own performance, then turn that heat back into electricity when the grid needs it most.
Renewable energy integration is hindered by the lack of large-scale, long-duration storage. Existing battery solutions can be environmentally taxing or insufficiently flexible for heavy industrial grid needs.
A 100 kWel Power-to-heat-to-power pilot including sCO2 turbomachinery, heat exchangers, and a molten salt thermocline storage system.
If you are a factory owner dealing with wasted heat between 150-200°C — this project developed a storage system that captures this waste to improve round-trip efficiency. This allows you to store energy and reduce the size and cost of your storage tanks.
If you are a utility provider dealing with the instability of bulky renewable energy sources — this project developed a rotating-machine based storage solution. It provides a more environmentally friendly and grid-flexible alternative to chemical batteries or hydrogen.
If you are a plant manager dealing with rigid power output requirements — this project developed a Power-to-heat-to-power system. This enhances your plant's flexibility to adapt to changing grid demands.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not provided, but the project aims to reduce CAPEX by optimizing the size of the thermal energy storage through waste heat valorization.
The lab validation campaign is targeting a 100 kWel installation, with further replication campaigns planned for Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) in Greece and Portugal.
Based on available project data, there is no specific mention of licensing terms, though the consortium includes 9 industrial partners and 3 SMEs developing the enabling technologies.
The system uses rotating machinery, which the project claims makes it more grid-flexible and environmentally friendly compared to battery or hydrogen storage solutions.
The project runs from December 2023 to November 2027, with initial work on operating envelopes and preliminary designs already underway by month 18.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with 16 partners, 56% of whom are from the industrial sector (including 3 SMEs). This strong commercial presence, combined with 7 academic and research institutions across 9 countries, suggests a high focus on practical application and commercial viability rather than pure theory.
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