Applications & Installations

Storing solar power through aluminum-rock composite

UK-based Caldera has developed a new heat storage technology that can reportedly convert on-site generated solar power into on-demand heat, thus replacing conventional gas boilers. The system uses a composite of recycled aluminum and volcanic rocks to store heat at up to 500 C and produce steam.
Emiliano Bellini
By
Emiliano Bellini
Image: Caldera

From ESS News

UK startup Caldera has developed a modular heat storage technology based on an earth-abundant aluminium-rock composite.

Called Megacell, the new storage tech is described as an ideal solution to decarbonize industrial processes and store photovoltaic energy generated on-site. The system’s rock-aluminum core is claimed to have the same thermal storage capacity as similar storage technologies based on rock, sand or concrete.

The system is a vacuum-insulated cell that can reportedly store heat at up to 500 C and produce hot water or steam at a temperature of up to 210 C. It consists of blocks made of a proprietary composite of recycled aluminum and volcanic rocks enclosed in a vacuum-insulated chamber.

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