Climate Insider Brief:
- San Diego-based startup Redoxblox has secured $31 million in venture capital to commercialize its thermochemical storage technology, designed to provide high-temperature heat without fossil fuels for energy-intensive industries like food processing and cement production.
- The company’s proprietary system utilizes a specially developed metal oxide, allowing energy storage at temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Celsius.
- Redoxblox has initiated pilot projects, including installations at a Dow chemical plant and the University of California, San Diego, aiming to store energy for up to 24 hours.
In a major step towards decarbonizing some of the world’s most energy-intensive industries, San Diego-based startup Redoxblox has announced the successful closure of a $31 million venture capital round. This funding is aimed at commercializing the company’s innovative thermochemical storage technology, which promises a cost-effective solution for providing high-temperature heat without relying on fossil fuels.
Redoxblox’s proprietary thermochemical storage system harnesses the power of a specially developed metal oxide, enabling it to store energy at temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Celsius for extended periods. This capability is crucial for industries such as food processing, cement production, and chemical manufacturing, which are traditionally dependent on fossil fuels for their heating needs.
“Industry accounts for roughly 30 percent of global carbon emissions, with the majority stemming from fossil-fueled high-heat processes,” stated CEO Pasquale Romano. He emphasized the importance of finding alternatives to these conventional methods as the industrial sector lags in its efforts to decarbonize rapidly enough to mitigate climate change impacts.
Redoxblox’s technology diverges from existing thermal energy storage solutions by using a redox reaction, which allows the system to pack more energy into a smaller space at a lower cost compared to traditional methods and lithium-ion batteries. The startup’s approach involves passing electricity through its unique storage material, effectively utilizing it as a resistor to generate heat. This process not only stores heat but enhances energy density through chemical reactions that occur when the material reaches specific high temperatures.
The high-energy output from Redoxblox’s system is beneficial for various applications, from powering cement calciners to generating electricity via gas turbine engines. The company has already initiated pilot projects, including a 10 megawatt-hour system in partnership with Dow at a chemical plant in West Virginia and a 3 megawatt-hour installation at the University of California, San Diego, aimed at providing energy storage capacity for up to 24 hours.
The recent funding round was led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from Imperative Ventures, New System Ventures, and previous investors like Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Khosla Ventures, who collectively invested $9.4 million earlier this year. This financial backing will support Redoxblox in scaling its commercialization efforts.
Founded in 2020 by professors James Klausner and Jörg Petrasch, Redoxblox has developed its unique metal oxide, which is characterized as stable, long-lasting, non-toxic, and recyclable, derived from common metals sourced responsibly.
While specifics regarding cost and the timeline for full commercial deployment remain undisclosed, the company is designing systems to fit into standard 40-foot containers, each capable of storing up to 20 megawatt-hours with a remarkable 95 percent round-trip efficiency. The future installations are expected to be tailored to meet the substantial energy storage needs of large industrial facilities, a crucial step in the global push for sustainable industrial practices.
As Redoxblox progresses in its mission to provide a cleaner alternative for industrial heating, its innovative approach to thermochemical energy storage could potentially reshape how heavy industries operate in a decarbonizing world.
Source: Canary Media
Featured Image: Credit: Redoxblox
