en.Wedoany.com Reported - A new giant thermal battery developed by UK thermal energy company Caldera has been deployed in the United Kingdom. This plug-and-play system is designed for industrial sectors such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, aiming to help these industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuel heating.
The system can store up to 5MWh of thermal energy, delivering steam at over 200°C with a pressure equivalent to 16 bar—enough energy to brew over 1,400 liters of beer or even power a steam locomotive. Lord Whitehead CBE, UK Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, visited Caldera's manufacturing facility and activated the giant thermal battery.
Caldera's technology uses a solid core made of aluminum and iron pellets as the heat storage medium, encased in a vacuum insulation jacket to efficiently retain heat. The system is charged using electricity, allowing it to store thermal energy from cheaper off-peak electricity or renewable sources, releasing it when needed by industrial sites. The company states that this system offers one of the lowest-cost and fastest pathways to electrify heat for industrial facilities.
The system is designed to replace or supplement existing boilers, particularly suited for manufacturers with short, peak steam demands. In these scenarios, brief high-temperature heat requirements can make traditional electrification solutions difficult, slow, or expensive.
Previously, Caldera secured a £10 million investment from German industrial group GEA. The company reports strong interest from multiple industries in the UK, Europe, and beyond. This visit highlights the opportunity to transform UK government-backed innovation into a global clean heat business.
Lord Whitehead stated that heat is essential for many industrial processes, such as brewing beer, producing pet food, and manufacturing pharmaceuticals, but often still comes from fossil fuels. By generating and storing heat using low-carbon electricity and releasing it when industry needs it, this UK technological innovation offers a practical alternative to fossil fuels. "I am encouraged to see Caldera's commercial-scale system in operation, with their groundbreaking innovation attracting investment to the UK," he said.
Caldera CEO James Macnaghten noted that steam remains critical for many industrial processes and is one of the hardest parts of the economy to decarbonize. The challenge for many manufacturers lies in short, sharp usage peaks, forcing them to rely on fossil fuel boilers. Caldera's approach provides a faster and more economical way to electrify these sites, with technology that can be installed alongside existing systems or completely replace them, charging when electricity is cheap and clean, and releasing steam precisely when production demands it. With support from GEA and growing demand, the company believes its innovation is at a tipping point for international expansion. "The opportunity now is to turn a UK breakthrough into a global clean heat business," he said.
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