Imagine a giant thermal battery that can store both electricity and heat for days instead of hours. It uses a special metallic foam and heat-trapping materials to keep energy from leaking away, making it much more efficient than current options. It's like a thermos on a massive scale that can turn electricity back into power or heat whenever it's needed.
Current electricity storage (like Li-ion) is too short-term and expensive for heavy industrial heat and power needs. Existing thermal systems often suffer from high temperature losses, reducing overall efficiency.
A TRL4 prototype of an electro-thermal energy storage system and digital twins for three industrial use-cases.
If you are a ceramics plant dealing with intermittent solar power and waste heat — this project developed an electro-thermal storage system that enables continuous green hydrogen production and self-consumption. It provides a storage duration 8-12 times longer than Li-ion batteries.
If you are a DSO dealing with grid instability from renewable energy — this project developed a smart-grid storage solution with a round-trip efficiency of 80-85%. It offers a lifetime of 20-30 years, which is 2-3 times longer than Li-ion alternatives.
If you are a geothermal plant dealing with fluctuating energy demand — this project developed a thermal storage system with an energy density of 90 kWh/m3. This allows for better management of heat and electricity restitution to the grid.
The Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) is estimated between 80 and 137 €/MWh, depending on the specific use-case. Based on project data, this is lower than pumped hydro, the lowest-cost commercial electricity storage.
The project is delivering a TRL4 prototype and digital twins for three specific use-cases. Full industrial implementation in the first factory is targeted for 2029.
The project plans to generate revenue through the sale of heat pumps, thermal storage units, ORC systems, and licenses to R&D results.
The system has a projected lifetime of 20-30 years, which is 2 to 3 times longer than standard Li-ion batteries.
It integrates a novel heat-pump design, a thermal energy storage system using phase-change material in metallic foam, and an Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC) with specific operating parameters.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 55% industry ratio, comprising 6 industrial partners including 3 SMEs. This strong commercial presence, combined with 5 R&D teams and partners from 7 countries, suggests a high focus on market viability and practical application rather than pure academic research.
Contact the Commissariat a l Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) in France.
Contact us to connect with the SEHRENE consortium for early adoption or licensing opportunities.
