Latest news with #thermalbattery
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How To Lower Your Electric Bill With A Super-Smart Thermal Battery
Michael Rigney (center, leaning on table), the cofounder and CEO of Cala Systems, a start-up ... More manufacturing a thermal battery for residential use—in the form of a WiFi-connected heat pump water heater This column has previously featured companies storing energy in innovative ways with lithium-ion, nickel-hydrogen, iron redox flow, and even gravity batteries, so my ears perked up when I heard about a German company marketing an innovative thermal battery and providing 'Heat-as-a-Service' to industrial clients. Around half of all energy use is spent on heating something, from melting steel to providing warm showers to drying agricultural crops, and the industrial sector is a particularly heavy spender. The concept of HaaS seemed so novel, but I could only imagine it applied to industrial processes. Imagine my surprise upon discovering that I can buy and install a high-efficiency thermal battery for my home in the form of a heat pump water heater. Residential HPWHs have been sold on the U.S. market for about fifteen years by large, well-known distributors through nationwide hardware store chains. HPWHs works like your kitchen refrigerator but in reverse. Instead of pulling heat out of a cold space and releasing it outside, it pulls heat from the surrounding air and transfers it into the water in the tank. Ambient warm air is drawn into the heat pump, where the warmth turns a refrigerant from a liquid to a gas. The refrigerant gas is then compressed, which heats it further, then pumped through condenser coils inside an insulated tank filled with water. The hot condenser coils warm the water, and the insulation keeps it warm until it's needed. In a legacy electric resistance water heater, 1 kW of electricity generates 1 kW of heat. In a HPWH, 1 kW of electricity generates around 2-4 kW of heat, significantly lowering household energy use while washing clothes, dishwashing, and showering. Another great feature of HPWHs and thermal batteries in general is their ability to release the energy put into them with very little loss. Lithium-ion battery installations—which convert electrical energy into chemical energy and back again—have round-trip efficiencies around 90%, a few percentage points above most other battery chemistries. Thermal batteries, in contrast, convert electrical energy into heat. If thermal energy can be used directly, as in the case of a water heater, their efficiency is 98-99%. HPWHs are so efficient that local utilities offer rebates to homeowners who install them. Paying people to use HPWHs makes financial sense to grid operators because grid congestion can be so costly during peak use periods. Leave it to an entrepreneur familiar with the costs of grid congestion to devise an innovation that materially improves upon the already very efficient HPWHs. Cofounder and CEO of Cala Systems, Michael Rigney. Rigney worked much of his career in the field of ... More demand response—helping utilities figure out how to lower customer demand for power to ease grid congestion. The Cala Systems HPWH is a good tool for demand response. Cala Systems, cofounded and led by a seasoned grid modernization executive, Michael Rigney, has developed AI-powered HPWH controllers that coordinate with the grid via Wi-Fi to schedule water heating when electricity prices are lowest. Cala's systems, which will hit the market later this summer, are designed to superheat water in the tank when electricity is cheap, then store it until needed. When someone turns on the hot water in the shower or starts the dishwasher, a mixing valve adds cool water to the superheated store to provide the appropriate temperature for the application. These smart water heaters also communicate with other devices behind the homeowner's meter (such as solar panels and battery systems) to heat water most efficiently given the home's energy mix. Unlike conventional water heaters, Cala's system monitors a household's hot water usage patterns and feeds these data into a predictive control algorithm licensed to Cala by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This algorithm lowers energy usage by determining the best time and speed to heat water, only heating as much as is needed. Users can increase heating through the Cala app if guests are visiting or the household otherwise exceeds its typical usage. These innovations allow for a very efficient product--a heat pump water heater--to become even more efficient. Rigney knows, as I know, the importance of increasing energy efficiency, decreasing carbon footprints, and decongesting our groaning legacy electrical grid. Intelligent investors take note.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Larsen join forces to scale Heat-as-a-Service in Denmark
OSLO, Norway, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyoto Group has entered into a partnership with the Danish consultancy Hebsgaard | Larsen to accelerate the adoption of Kyoto Group's thermal battery, Heatcube, in Denmark. A solution which offers fully electrified heat at a reduced price without upfront investment. "Danish industrial companies are actively looking to phase out natural gas boilers, driven by a combination of regulations, financial incentives and customer preferences. Kyoto Group offers a low-risk, cost-effective solution to decarbonize industrial process heat, without major capital investment or operational disruption," says Tim de Haas, Chief Commercial Officer at Kyoto Group. "We are thrilled to partner with Hebsgaard | Larsen. With their proven track record and strong local presence, we're well-positioned to get this message across to potential customers in Denmark." Kyoto's Heatcube technology delivers high-volume, stable, and fully electrified heat for industrial applications, enabling a smooth transition from natural gas to renewable energy. By leveraging thermal energy storage, Heatcube significantly reduces both process heat costs and CO₂ emissions, while also providing a strategic hedge against volatile energy and commodity prices. "At Hebsgaard | Larsen, we help our customers identify their green potential based on extensive experience. Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is becoming an increasingly essential factor in this process. We are deeply impressed by Heatcube and look forward to helping introduce this groundbreaking TES technology to potential customers in Denmark," says Jakob Hebsgaard, Managing Partner at Hebsgaard | Larsen. Under the agreement, Hebsgaard | Larsen will promote Heatcube, identify and introduce potential business opportunities and assist in sales processes. The partnership is part of Kyoto's strategy to accelerate the adoption of Heatcube's Heat-as-a-Service (HaaS) model in Denmark, providing fully electrified heat at a reduced price without upfront investment. Kyoto Group already has a foothold in Denmark as its first full-scale commercial project and HaaS model was commissioned in Aalborg, Denmark at Norbis Park, a large combined heat and power (CHP) plant, in September 2023. For further information, please contact:Tim de HaasChief Commercial Officer, Kyoto Group+47 916 30 129Jakob HebsgaardManaging Partner, Hebsgaard | Larsen+45 40 30 42 35 About Kyoto Group Kyoto Group is a leading thermal battery company committed to decarbonizing industrial heat with its innovative solution, Heatcube. Industrial heat production is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions — primarily driven by fossil fuels — but this often-overlooked emitter can be decarbonized today with Heatcube. Heatcube provides a sustainable, cost-effective, plug-and-play solution that efficiently captures and stores renewable energy, converting it into electricity-powered heat to generate steam for industrial applications. Kyoto Group is on a mission to empower industries with renewable thermal energy, paving the way for a world powered by nature. Founded in 2016, Kyoto Group has offices in Oslo, Norway, and Seville, Spain, and operates through subsidiaries in Denmark. Our principal owner, Glentra, a leading Danish energy fund, drives the green transition through innovative decarbonization and energy efficiency technologies. Visit us at and follow us on LinkedIn. About Hebsgaard | Larsen Hebsgaard | Larsen is a boutique advisory firm specializing in industrial green transition, industrial symbiosis, and the interaction between industry and energy systems. H|L assists companies, energy stakeholders, municipalities, and others—both nationally and internationally—in identifying and conceptualizing multi-stakeholder transition potentials. They help align opportunities with the relevant technologies and business models to ensure that the transition is realized now. Behind H|L are Anders Bøje Larsen and Jakob Hebsgaard, who together bring extensive experience in techno-commercial strategy and business development, as well as the execution of complex projects. This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: Press release Kyoto Group and Hebsgaard Larsen (EN) 25 06 Press release Kyoto Group and Hebsgaard Larsen View original content: Sign in to access your portfolio
