Electrified Thermal Solutions is Selected for $5M U.S. Department of Energy Grant to Decarbonize Industrial Heat

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Feb 14, 2024, 08:43 ET

Electrified Thermal Solutions Will Partner with 3M, Amy's Kitchen, Buzzi Unicem USA, Southwest Research Institute ("SwRI"), EPRI, and Others to Establish Pilot Projects

BOSTON, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In late January, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $171 million investment, funding 49 projects across 21 states to help cut industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS), along with industrial partners 3M, Buzzi Unicem USA and Amy's Kitchen, were among the recipients of the award to decarbonize industrial heat in manufacturing, cement, food, chemicals and other sectors.

ETS will use the cost matching funds from the grant to build and operate the first commercial-scale pilot of its Joule Hive^™ thermal battery ("JHTB") in collaboration with SwRI at its industrial demonstration facilities in San Antonio, Texas. Subsequently, the grant funds will support deployment of customer-sited JHTBs for integration into their operations with partners such as 3M, Buzzi Unicem, Amy's Kitchen and other industrial collaborators. Project collaborator EPRI will lead analyses on lifecycle cost and techno-economics, and will be used to assist with third-party verification and identifying potential deployment sites. A diverse group of additional industrials are supporting the project as advisors including Novelis (Aluminum), Imerys (Minerals), Entergy (Electric Utility) and Tennessee Valley Authority (Electric Utility), as well as leaders in the basic chemicals and steel production spaces.

As carbon emissions decline in power generation and transportation sectors, heavy industry stands as a notable exception, with a steady rise in emissions. Industrial heat processes, which contribute an estimated 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly rely on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS) has emerged with a groundbreaking solution: the Joule Hive Thermal Battery^™. Developed at MIT, this innovation offers the most economically viable, zero carbon alternative, capable of harnessing clean energy-derived electricity to produce, store, and deliver emissions-free heat for industrial operations.

The JHTB is unique among alternative solutions in having demonstrated the ability to convert electricity to 1,800C temperature heat in ambient air conditions using its proprietary E-Brick heating elements, opening the door to decarbonizing even the highest temperature industrial applications. With the JHTB, ETS introduces a game-changing solution, making zero carbon, competitively priced, on-demand, high-temperature industrial heat a tangible reality for the entire industrial heating market from lower temperature steam and drying applications to the highest temperature demands of the steel, cement and glass industries.

"We believe the breadth and depth of involvement from our industrial partners like 3M, Buzzi Unicem USA and Amy's Kitchen was critical to demonstrate to the DOE just how valuable the Joule Hive thermal battery will be for industrial decarbonization, and we are grateful for their partnership. SwRI's engineering support and world class industrial demonstration facilities signaled to the DOE that our technology will be developed, built, operated, tested and evaluated to the highest standards." said Daniel Stack, Co-founder and CEO of Electrified Thermal Solutions. "Now, with the DOE behind us and a world class partnership consortium, we will demonstrate that ETS's Joule Hive^™ Thermal Battery can durably deliver clean heat at temperatures hot enough for any industrial process."

"Cement production is known as a hard to abate industrial sector in large part because of the high temperatures required," said Massimo Toso, President & CEO Buzzi Unicem USA. "ETS's Joule Hive^™ Thermal Battery is the first industrial heat decarbonization solution we have identified that could potentially enable us to cost effectively and completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our heating processes and achieve our corporate decarbonization goals."

For more information, please visit www.electrifiedthermal.com.

Contact:
Emily Torrans
Mahoney Communications Group
[email protected]
214-500-9670

SOURCE Electrified Thermal Solutions