American corporation plans to construct high-temperature brick battery for the purpose of decarbonizing steel and cement factories, with the battery capable of reaching 1,800 degrees Celsius.
Boston-based startup Electrified Thermal Solutions, spun out of MIT, has announced a significant manufacturing deal with HarbisonWalker International (HWI) to produce their patented E-bricks. These electrically conductive firebricks are central to Electrified Thermal's Joule Hive Thermal Battery, a system designed to generate and store high-temperature heat using renewable electricity.
The Joule Hive system offers a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative to traditional methods for generating high-temperature heat. By converting green electricity into thermal energy using solid-state components that can withstand extreme temperatures, the system aims to decarbonize heavy industry.
Industrial heat represents one of the most challenging frontiers in the world's effort to address climate change. Most industrial processes that require high-temperature heat still rely heavily on burning natural gas or coal. According to Electrified Thermal's CEO and co-founder, Daniel Stack, this partnership transforms what could have been a manufacturing bottleneck into a powerful scaling advantage.
The agreement focuses on producing Electrified Thermal's E-bricks at HWI's U.S. manufacturing plants. The new collaboration merges Electrified Thermal's innovative electric heating technology with HWI's 160 years of experience in manufacturing high-temperature materials. This merging of expertise enables scalable manufacturing through existing facilities in the U.S., accelerating the deployment of the Joule Hive system.
Electrified Thermal plans to launch its first commercial-scale Joule Hive system in 2025, with a goal to achieve 2 gigawatts of industrial thermal energy capacity by 2030. This ambitious goal is part of the start-up's mission to significantly aid the decarbonization of heavy industries through electrification of their heat processes.
By enabling factories to directly switch from fossil fuels to renewable electricity without compromising performance or reliability, the Joule Hive system offers a lower-cost and cleaner alternative for industrial heat supply. This approach directly addresses one of the most challenging aspects of climate change—providing clean, reliable, and high-temperature industrial process heat.
By relying on proven supply chains and long-established processes, the system can reach commercial scale much faster than traditional clean energy projects that require building entirely new infrastructure. This collaboration aligns closely with Calderys' broader innovation strategy and enables them to respond effectively to the growing demand from industries transitioning to cleaner energy solutions.
In summary, the Joule Hive Thermal Battery systems:
- Store renewable electricity as high-temperature heat (up to 1,800°C) using E-bricks.
- Enable heavy industries to replace fossil fuels with renewable-powered heat.
- Maintain performance and reduce costs compared to fossil fuel heating.
- Scale manufacturing rapidly via partnership with established refractory producer HWI.
- Target deployment of 2 GW thermal capacity by 2030 for industrial decarbonization.
This approach directly addresses one of the most challenging aspects of climate change—providing clean, reliable, and high-temperature industrial process heat.
- The collaboration between Electrified Thermal Solutions and HarbisonWalker International (HWI) is not just a manufacturing deal, but a strategic merging of expertise in robotics, science, and technology, aiming to accelerate the deployment of the innovative Joule Hive system.
- Finance plays a crucial role in the scale-up of clean energy solutions, and the partnership between Electrified Thermal and HWI demonstrates the potential of investment in renewable energy technologies to drive innovation in the industry.
- In the quest to decarbonize heavy industries, energy is a vital aspect, and the Joule Hive Thermal Battery system offers a promising solution, generating and storing high-temperature heat using renewable electricity, thereby contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape.
