UK first: Giant heat battery for industry switched on

A new type of giant heat battery specifically designed to help a wide range of industrial sectors has been switched on in the UK. The plug-and-play system is aimed at assisting the food, drink, pharmaceuticals and chemicals industries move away from fossil-fuelled heat.

Developed by British heat specialist Caldera, the system can store up to 5MWh of heat energy - enough to brew over 1,400l of beer - and deliver steam in excess of 200°C, equivalent to 16 bar steam - enough power to drive a steam locomotive.

Lord Whitehead CBE, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, visited Caldera’s manufacturing facility to switch on the giant heat battery.

How the tech works

Caldera’s technology uses a solid core made from aluminium and iron pellets, enclosed within a vacuum insulation cover to retain heat efficiently.

It is charged using electricity, including cheaper off-peak or renewable power, and stores that energy as heat until industrial sites need it.

The company says its system offers one of the lowest cost and fastest routes for industrial sites to electrify heat.

Designed as an alternative or complement to existing boilers, it is particularly well suited to manufacturers with 'peaky' steam demand, where short bursts of high-temperature heat can make conventional electrification difficult, slow or expensive.

Government backed

Caldera, which has previously secured £10 million of investment from German industrial group GEA, says it is seeing strong interest from a range of sectors across the UK, Europe and further afield.

The company says the visit underlines the opportunity to turn government-backed UK innovation into a global clean heat business.

“Heat is vital to so many industrial processes, from brewing beer to pet foods and pharmaceutical products – but this heat is still typically generated from fossil fuels,” said Lord Whitehead.

“By using low carbon electricity to create and store heat, then releasing it when industry needs it, this British technological innovation provides a practical alternative to fossil fuels. I am encouraged to see Caldera’s commercial scale system coming into operation, with their pioneering innovation attracting investment into the UK.”

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James Macnaghten, CEO of Caldera, said: “We are grateful to Lord Whitehead for visiting Caldera and to the UK Government for its long-term support.

“We still live in an age of steam, it is so critical to many of our industrial process, and it remains one of the hardest parts of the economy to decarbonise. Alongside that for many manufacturers the challenge is not constant heat demand. It is short, sharp peaks of usage that force them to keep relying on fossil-fuel boilers.

“The Caldera approach gives those sites a faster, more affordable way to electrify. Our technology can be installed alongside or to fully replace existing systems, charged when electricity is cheaper and cleaner, and used to deliver steam exactly when production needs it.

“With the backing of GEA and growing demand from across Europe and further afield, we believe our innovation is on the cusp of scaling internationally. The opportunity now is to turn a UK breakthrough into a global clean heat business.”