THE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
The TEXEL thermochemical battery is originally developed and patented by US Department of Energy and Savannah River Nations Laboratory, where TEXEL signed a exclusive license agreement to use. TEXEL was the first Stirling company in the world to convert electricity to heat, store the heat to be converted back to electricity using a Stirling converter. TEXEL has also a pending patent on the process, named “The TEXEL Process”.
It is a huge difference between different thermal energy storage solution, that range from simple solutions like heated oil, molten salt, molten silicon, molten metals etc., and the TEXEL thermochemical solution. Thermochemical batteries are more similar in performance to Electrochemical batteries like Lithium-Ion, where you are able to store energy for very long periods of time etc. but extremely more cost effective,
TEXEL IS A NEW WAY TO STORE ENERGY
The TEXEL battery technology is just another way to store energy. Storing energy in a thermochemical battery, with electric output is similar to electrochemical batteries, like Lithium-Ion, in performance, but much more cost effective. Just like Lithium-Ion the TEXEL thermochemical battery can be charged with electricity, but could as well be charged with any heat source, like flared natural gas and still deliver electric energy. Stored heat energy released from the thermochemical battery to the Stirling Converter forces the generator to produce approximately 40 percent electric energy and 50 percent heat energy, equivalent to 90 percent total energy efficiency.
THE BATTERY:
- High energy density – Similar to Lithium-Ion with huge potential to be improved.
- No Cyclic Degradation
- No rare earth materials
- 100% Recyclable
- Long Storage Duration (+100 years)
- Gas Hybrid – No backup systems needed
METAL HYDRIDE AND HYDROGEN
The TEXEL battery has a hot and a cold side consisting of Metal Hydrides (special metal alloys) and hydrogen, in a cyclic closed process.
When the hot side of the battery is charged with electricity or any heat source, a chemical reaction is created, and the energy is stored in metal hydride’s hot side. The hydrogen will move from the hot side to the cold side during this reaction to be stored. The energy is now stored in a cool conditions, same temperature as the surroundings, and can be stored for 100 years with a minimum amount of energy loss.
When the hydrogen stored in the cold side is forced back to the hot side, the thermal energy will be released from the Metal Hydrides and the hot side becomes hot again. The heat is now transferred in to the Stirling Converter that starts to spin creating kinetic energy that will force a generator to produce electricity.
HIGH ENERGY DENSITY
The TEXEL battery technology is based on Metal Hydrides and Hydrogen, and has more than twenty times higher energy density than other heat storage technologies, such as Molten Salt, and competitive with Lithium-Ion. The energy density is predicted to be improved dramatically with future development.
The TEXEL battery’s high energy density also opens up for other market segments where space, weight as well as environmental issues matters.
GAS HYBRID – GUARANTEED ENERGY PRODUCTION
The ability to charge the battery with any kind of heat source, such as gas, brings the TEXEL technology far beyond existing technologies, such as Lithium-Ion, and no other backup systems are needed.
The Gas Hybrid creates the possibility to guarantee energy supply even when there is no access to wind and solar power, or in event of catastrophes, such as wild fires, earthquakes, and terror attacks etc.
ONE BATTERY – NUMEROUS APPLICATIONS
The TEXEL battery does not differ much from ordinary electrochemical batteries. One TEXEL unit or cell stores much more energy than ordinary battery cells, and is scalable from smaller applications like a single household, buss to cities and state grids, where Lithium-Ion batteries scales from phones and laptops to cars.
One battery unit delivers 30kW and can be sized from 30 minutes to 24 hours (15kWh – 720 kWh) of storage. A series of batteries will of course increase the energy output – 10 battery units x 30kW = 300kW with a storage capacity up to 720kWh x 10 = 7.2MWh.
