UK start-up company Caldera is developing a solar energy megacell, intended to help industry switch from gas to solar
Caldera, a UK start-up company, is developing a solar energy ‘megacell,’ to aid industry in the switch from gas heating to solar power.
The solar energy megacell will be a heat storage technology that utilises solar energy from either onsite solar panels or nearby solar farms.
Each solar energy megacell can store up to 500°C
The solar energy megacells are made up of a mixture of aluminium and volcanic rock. Each one is capable of storing heat up to 500°C, and is ready to deliver that heat as hot water or steam up to 210°C.
Caldera have a demonstrator unit at their factory, proving the technology, and allowing them to begin scaling up to the first megacell.
The project has received backing of £4.3m from the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Caldera is now looking for an industrial partner to host the first megacell.
Energy consultants Gemserv have stated that Caldera’s solar energy megacell system could slash fuel bills by 45%, and pay for itself in less than six years.
The steam age never left
Caldera CEO, James Macnaghten, said: “Most people think the steam age ended last century – but in fact it has never gone away.
“Around 70 percent of UK industrial energy demand is for heat, with industrial steam accounting for 31 percent of the total.
“Steam is ideal for many businesses because it holds a lot of heat which can be moved around relatively easily via pipes and valves.
“Solar energy is getting cheaper by the day, and many businesses have not yet realised the huge potential for installing a dedicated solar farm – even where little roof space is available.
“Our system removes the need for costly grid connection upgrades, which can take years, and means the factory owner can generate and use all of their solar energy at cost.
“Many industrial sites have a constrained footprint. It therefore made sense for us to move away from multiple small cells to larger and much taller cells. Our new megacell is sized specifically to fit on a standard truck, and by making the cell much taller, we can now store significantly more heat.”
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