<
https://electrek.co/2026/01/19/germany-is-using-heated-bricks-to-replace-gas-fired-industrial-boilers/>
"Rondo Energy and Covestro broke ground on a new kind of industrial heat
battery at Covestro’s Brunsbüttel chemical site in northern Germany, and it’s
designed to do something industry desperately needs: make clean, reliable steam
without burning fossil fuels.
Thanks to a surplus of renewable energy, Germany logged 573 hours of negative
electricity prices in 2025, a 25% increase from 2024. Rondo’s Heat Battery
charges up when there’s a surplus of cheap renewable electricity on the grid,
stores that energy as heat in specially designed bricks (pictured), and then
delivers steady, high‑temperature steam around the clock for industrial
processes. It’s aimed squarely at replacing fossil‑fuel‑fired boilers in
facilities that run 24/7.
At 100 megawatt‑hours (MWh), the Brunsbüttel system is scheduled to come online
by the end of 2026. It will be tied with the 100 MWh Rondo heat battery that
went into operation in California in October as the largest industrial heat
battery in the world. Covestro’s project is backed by Breakthrough Energy
Catalyst and the European Investment Bank.
Once operational, the battery is expected to supply about 10% of the steam
needed at the Brunsbüttel site and cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 13,000
metric tons per year. Steam production is a major energy demand for Covestro,
and at the site, it’s currently still largely powered by natural gas.
State officials see the project as a sign of what’s possible in a
renewables‑heavy grid. Schleswig‑Holstein’s energy and climate minister, Tobias
Goldschmidt, said at the groundbreaking that the state’s rapid build‑out of
renewable energy is enabling industrial projects like this one, helping
strengthen energy independence while supporting climate‑neutral goals.
The underlying technology is deceptively simple. Rondo’s heat battery uses
bricks – a proven heat‑storage medium that’s been used in steelmaking for
centuries – paired with modern automation and controls. Electricity heats the
bricks; the stored heat runs a conventional boiler; and the system produces
emission‑free steam using electricity from renewable sources."
Via Susan ****
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
