A Ferrosilicon Latent Heat Thermophotovoltaic Battery

THERMOBAT will develop an innovative Latent Heat Thermophotovoltaic (LHTPV) battery for long duration storage (10 to 100 hours) and combined heat and power (CHP) generation. The system stores electricity in the form of latent heat at very high temperatures (1200 deg C) using a new kind of ferrosilicon alloy with very high energy density (> 1 MWh per m3) and converts it back to electricity and low-temperature heat (< 70 deg C) on-demand using solid-state Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices. The value proposition is the supply of a very cheap system (< 10 Euro per kWh) that has a very high energy density (> 400 kWh per m3), high global efficiency (> 90 %), that is safe, flexible, compact, silent, recyclable, scalable, and able to produce clean heat and electricity on demand. The dispatchable CHP generation capability of the LHTPV battery will be demonstrated in a sport center that is managed by one of the largest Spanish companies dedicated to the design, maintenance, and operation of infrastructures. THERMOBAT builds on the results (demonstrated proof of principle) achieved within the FET-OPEN project AMADEUS in which a small lab-scale prototype of the system was built and tested. THERMOBAT will bring LHTPV technology closer to commercialization by developing scalable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly processes for the manufacturing of the key components of the LHTPV battery. In addition, we will focus on accelerating tech-to-market activities through Thermophoton, a recently established UPM spin-off company that will receive UPM's know-how and will develop a detailed business plan to make the innovation fully marketable. This tech-to-market plan is also a continuation of another EU funded project named NATHALIE (FET Innovation Launchpad) in which the market and the potential application of the invention on industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings have been analyzed.