The world’s largest industrial heat battery has officially started operations in California, utilizing a solar PV array to supply industrial heat and steam to a fuel production facility. The Rondo Heat Battery (RHB), with a capacity of 100 megawatt-hours (MWh), has been operational since last week after successfully completing a series of performance and reliability tests. Designed by Rondo, a California-based company with significant backing from major investors such as Microsoft and Bill Gates, the RHB can reach impressive temperatures exceeding 1,000°C while maintaining an efficiency rate of over 97%.
The Rondo Heat Battery operates by storing heat generated during the day using renewable energy sources like wind and solar. The system heats refractory bricks to temperatures between 1,100 and 1,500°C, which allows the heat to be retained for extended periods. When needed, air flows through the brick stack, becoming superheated and subsequently delivering heat or steam to the facility, thus ensuring minimal energy loss. This technology integrates easily with existing industrial setups, allowing it to work alongside conventional gas-fired boilers without any significant modifications.
Eric Trusiewicz, the CEO of Rondo Energy, emphasized the importance of the heat battery’s functionality at an industrial scale. He noted that the technology is gaining traction across multiple continents and industries, enabling customers to reduce carbon emissions while enhancing their operational efficiency. With industrial heat usage accounting for a substantial portion of global energy consumption, the need for sustainable heat sources has become increasingly critical.
Unlike traditional electric boilers and heat pumps that depend on constant energy supply, the Rondo system only requires six hours of low-cost electricity each day to operate continuously. This innovation is heralded as a pivotal moment for renewable energy in industrial applications, drawing parallels to the impact of electric vehicles in the transportation sector. With ongoing developments across various projects worldwide, Rondo aims to further its contributions to sustainable industrial heating solutions.