US-headquartered Rondo Energy has announced the beginning of commercial operation for the world’s largest industrial heat battery at a fuel production facility in California.
The 100MWh Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) has entered daily automatic operation, powered exclusively by an onsite solar PV array and delivering continuous high-pressure industrial heat and steam to the fuel production facility.
The unit sets new records for the industrial heat battery industry in capacity, round-trip efficiency, and power supply. This 100MWh unit delivers a volume of heat equivalent to 10,000 home heating systems.
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So, how does it work?
During the day, off-grid solar PV charges the heat battery and the RHB delivers heat 24 hours a day. The heat battery directly delivers steam alongside gas-fired boilers without changes to the facility.
Unlike heat pumps or electric boilers that need constant power, the Rondo Heat Battery charges using only the six lowest-cost hours of electricity per day—whether from off-grid solar or from the grid.
The Rondo Heat Battery’s storage medium uses only brick and wire—abundant, proven materials that can’t catch fire, explode, or cause toxic leaks. Heat batteries replace or drop in alongside industry-standard boilers and seamlessly integrate into existing steam flanges, delivering steam at any conditions at 100+ bar (1450+ PSI). Because it produces no emissions, the Rondo Heat Battery requires no air permits, easing deployment.
After 10 weeks of operation, the project has achieved all milestones for daily automatic operation, performance, efficiency, and reliability proving out Rondo’s unique design, which boasts storage temperatures over 1000°C and round-trip efficiency above 97%.
“The Rondo Heat Battery is now proven at industrial scale,” Rondo Energy CEO Eric Trusiewicz said.
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“We are already developing and operating heat batteries across four continents and five industries. Our customers are improving their competitiveness and slashing their carbon emissions at the same time.”
Rondo is already developing and operating projects across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, with deployments underway for chemicals, biofuels, food and beverage, and cement. The company’s technology scales quickly, requiring no scarce minerals and using only proven industrial components.
