BREAKTHROUGHS IN THERMAL BATTERIES THROUGH ZERO-EMISSION HIGH-TEMPERATURE STATIC THERMAL-TO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS

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"BLAZETEC aims to pioneer ultra-high-temperature thermal batteries, operating from 1200 to 1600 °C, offering groundbreaking and efficient solutions for long-duration energy storage and conversion. It focuses the efforts on two pivotal pilot demonstrations: an electric thermal battery capable of converting surplus electricity into heat and then back into electricity, alongside a solar thermal battery designed to store concentrated sunlight and provide electric power on-demand. Both of these systems integrate cutting-edge solid-state energy converters, including thermionics (TIG), thermoelectrics (TEG), and thermophotovoltaics (TPV). Standard thermal engines cannot support such high operating temperatures, therefore solid-state converters are now essential for effectively integrating efficient thermal batteries in renewable energy sources. BLAZETEC advances standalone TIG, TEG, and TPV technologies by introducing innovations with higher conversion efficiency with respect to the state-of-the-art like vacuum micro-gap TIG, multi-module TEG, and multijunction TPV systems. Through hybridization of these solutions, the project introduces TITEG (TIG-TEG hybrid) and TIPV (TIG-TPV hybrid), with a targeted efficiency of over 30% and a power density higher than 5 W/cm², all backed by more than 500 hours of reliability. The integration of these technologies is facilitated by innovative vacuum encapsulation and the ""dispatchable power wall"" concept, which enables on-demand power generation by efficiently routing heat through the converters. The project's outcomes result in the development of five advanced energy conversion devices, an inventive system for dispatchable electricity generation, and the successful pilot testing of two kinds of thermal batteries (exploiting latent heat and sensible heat), ultimately achieving TRL 5."