Thermal Batteries for Lower Carbon Industrial Processes
1 min read
Summary
refractory bricks, developed by MIT spin-off Electrified Thermal Solutions, are made of ceramics with a high level of porosity to optimise thermal tolerance and insulation
the exact composition is unknown, but it is likely to include doped chromia that produces heat when electrified
stacked bricks conduct current whilst remaining thermally insulating, enabling time-shifting of energy from renewables to even out load and reduce cost and emissions
other methods of thermal storage on a smaller scale include sand batteries and storing heat in water or fluids
the ultimate goal is seasonal energy storage, which would allow excess energy produced in summer to be used for heating in winter, but this requires more complex chemical processes such as making biofuel from electricity alone
