Engineers launched a powerful silicon “brick” battery: how to use it

Australian company 1414 Degrees has launched an experimental energy module that demonstrates a unique technology for storing thermal energy using silicon, according to the company’s official website. The SiBox system uses the latent heat properties of silicon and, as conceived by the developers, its “batteries” will be used by heavy industry establishments where extremely high temperature conditions are part of the process.

SiBox is a complete thermal energy storage system consisting of SiBricks, silicon bricks housed in an integrated insulated heat tank with a heating element and an energy recovery system. The heat is then made available for use, providing a potential zero-carbon heat source for industries requiring temperatures above 800°C. These temperatures are typically maintained in cement, alumina, iron and steel applications.

The company said the commissioning phase of the demonstration facility included extensive testing that demonstrated the SiBox storage system’s ability to convert electrical energy into a controlled flow of hot air. The facility is said to have successfully completed 32 phase transition cycles operating at outlet temperatures ranging from 700 to 850°C and providing six to 12 hours of continuous production per cycle.

The 1MWh demonstration facility is now offline and ready for continuous cycle and discharge testing for the next 12 months to complete the validation phase. The technology has received $1.3 million from oil and gas giant Woodside, which now has the ability to co-develop and commercialize the SiBox system.

Previously Focus Scientists have learned to move lithium ions more efficiently, he said. According to the researchers, this is a real breakthrough in energy storage methods and a significant advance in high-speed battery charging.