podcast
With thermal batteries, industry can reduce its energy consumption. EnergyNest builds systems for this. Managing Director Christian Thiel talks about the purpose and benefits of the technology – and why Germany is lagging behind in its use.
Germany and other countries are rapidly converting their energy supply – and for weeks the focus has been on industry in particular. Can it still produce in Germany without cheap gas from Russia? Thermal batteries can help with the conversion by storing the excess energy from industrial processes – and making it usable with a time delay. A pioneer in this field is EnergyNest, which has been managed by Christian Thiel since 2014. The Norwegian company makes thermal batteries from carbon steel and a special concrete that can be stacked as needed, much like Lego bricks.
“Our storage helps industrial companies to electrify heat”, says Thiel. Currently, heat is mainly generated by fossil fuels. “We can now help the industrial company stop these fossil fuel processes, feed the storage facility with renewable electricity and then withdraw steam directly”he explains.
Another application of thermal batteries: “We can feed unused waste heat to our storage facility, park it there until the heat is needed again for another process step, and then store it directly there”so the Rostocker.
“Germany is in a deep slumber”
This technology could be an important component in reducing German CO2 emissions because “25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany result from industrial process heat”, says the manager. As the thermal storage market booms, so does EnergyNest, according to the CEO “very massive”. One challenge for the company, however, is finding enough qualified employees.
The possibilities of the technology are not yet really recognized in Germany, says Thiel: “We see that the discussion in the European context is slowly shifting. But in Germany, unfortunately, people have not yet woken up here, or are still in a deep slumber.” The manager is therefore trying to make himself heard more in politics. “Process heat is such a huge topic, you can’t not talk about it”says Thiel. “This is an absolute no-go.”
Listen :
- How the components of memory are made
- How Thiel came to lead EnergyNest
- How he tries to recruit new talent
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Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
