Case studies
Element 16 partners with Enduring Planet to develop sulfur thermal storage for large industrial applications
Large industrial facilities use heat as an input into their product, whether they are drying paper, distilling chemicals, or sanitizing food production lines. These facilities generally operate 24/7, with the vast majority using fossil fuels for their power needs. If these facilities are going to switch to renewables, they will need an inexpensive energy storage option that takes in solar, wind, or other variable energy sources and provides a constant, 24-hour heat supply.
Element 16 is developing a thermal energy storage technology that addresses this challenge. Their core innovation is the use of sulfur, a waste product of the oil industry, as the core storage material. Sulfur is a fraction of the cost of common existing thermal storage materials like salts and oils.
Element 16's thermal energy storage system has been designed to flexibly charge from solar thermal, solar PV, wind, waste heat, and/or grid electricity. The system can then discharge industrial process heat (often as steam) eliminating the need for fossil fuel boilers at across a wide range of industries like food processing, chemicals production, mining, paper mills, and more.
Element 16 partnered with Enduring Planet to:
- Accelerate R&D timelines
- Navigate standard liquidity challenges posed by grants
Same grant, but faster
Element16 recently won a large grant to further advance their product development and bring their storage solution closer to commercialization. Since the grant is paid through cost reimbursement, they decided to partner with Enduring Planet through our Climate Grant Advance program to dramatically accelerate their work.
The Element16 team was also drawn to the completely non-dilutive structure of the Grant Advance, as well as the simple application and diligence process, lack of personal guarantee and collateral requirements, and clear/simple repayment structure.
Enduring Planet understands the unique challenges faced by small grant-funded startups and offered capital with a payment structure that matches well with how grant funds are disbursed.
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