Masdar City start-up launches thermal energy storage product

ABU DHABI, 21st September, 2021 Masdar City-based Seramic Materials, a start-up company supported by accelerator The Catalyst, has developed a unique patented solution to recycle industrial solid waste into a high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) product – a circular economy solution that both reduces wastage and promotes renewable energy development. The innovative product called, ReThink Seramic – Flora, can store heat at temperatures up to 1250 C. This allows the storage of thermal energy from process heat in concentrated solar power (CSP) or industrial waste heat recovery systems, or from electricity in renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic, wind, or even excess grid electricity. Made completely from recycled materials, in a 100 percent carbonoffset process, the product offers a sustainable solution at a considerably lower price point than other commercially available TES materials. Abdulla Balalaa, Executive Director, Masdar City, said, "This ground-breaking product from Seramic Materials was developed at their base in Masdar City a testament to being Abu Dhabi’s only planned and approved research and development (R&D) cluster. Thermal energy storage is a technology with enormous potential, helping to overcome the intermittency challenges of renewable energy and mitigating climate change. Part of our work at Masdar City, is helping start-ups like Seramic Materials to test new technologies, explore opportunities and build their networks, hence, helping to amplify their efforts and deliver a more sustainable future." "The development of innovations like ReThink Seramic – Flora, further enhances the City’s status as the key regional hub for the development of transformativetechnologies.Seramic Materials has also been ranked fourth in a global list of recycling start-ups, the only company from the Arab world to be recognised, so we are very proud to have them as part of our dynamic community," Balalaa added. From his side, Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Seramic Materials, said, "By replacing an expensive raw material with a waste locally generated, we are significantly cutting the cost of our ceramic products. Flora is a game changer in high-temperature applications over 600 C as up to now the bottle neck was the high cost of the ceramic material itself." The TES market is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years, as it offers a solution to issues arising from the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. The TES market could triple in size by 2030, with investment in TES applications for cooling and power set to reach as much as US$28 billion, helping to fulfil long-term climate and sustainability goals, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Seramic Materials has also announced its first commercial client, with StorEnergy DOO taking delivery of 24 tonnes of the Flora solution at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria