Will we soon be getting energy from stones?
If a handful of start-ups have their way, we’ll soon be getting energy from so-called brick batteries. Some even believe that the stones as heat storage can be a real game changer. There are several reasons for this.
The road to a sustainable power grid is sometimes difficult. Because wind turbines and solar systems have the property that they only generate energy at certain times. If there is no wind or it is cloudy, the generated power goes into the basement. And it is precisely such drops in performance that quickly pose a threat to our power grid.
Therefore, batteries are an important part of the power grid of the future. But the question many experts are asking is which type of battery is the most efficient. Because lithium-ion batteries are comparatively expensive. Some startups have now identified the brick as a promising energy storage medium.
Brick batteries absorb heat from heavy industry
The reason for this setting is that heat is a by-product of many production processes. In heavy industry in particular, companies heat blast furnaces, for example. However, most of the generated heat simply dissipates.
startups, like Rondo Energy, so want to use excess thermal energy to heat gigantic brick batteries. The stones reach a temperature of over 1,500 degrees Celsius. The huge system then stores this heat for hours or even days.
If you need heat energy somewhere else or want to convert it into electricity, a fan blows air through the system. This reaches a temperature of around 1,000 degrees Celsius and is available for various purposes.
Industry requires large amounts of thermal energy
The advantage is obvious: since industrial production processes usually run 24 hours a day, there is an uninterrupted flow of heat energy available. The system takes about four hours to fully charge and can then absorb performance drops in the energy supply day and night.
If you use the brick batteries to operate industrial processes, dozens of systems are necessary. Around 20 percent of global energy requirements come from industry. For the most part, high temperatures are achieved by burning fossil fuels. So the heat batteries could one day ensure more sustainability.
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