The world's largest battery made of bricks turns on in California

"A Bay Area startup has turned on the world's largest industrial heat battery. Rondo Energy is helping power Holmes Western Oil Corp.'s enhanced oil recovery system. Holmes replaced one of its natural gas-fired boilers at a project in Kern County, California, with a 20-megawatt solar array paired with Rondo's 100-megawatt-hour battery, which heats up clay bricks with electricity to generate steam that's then used to force oil from the ground."

"Critics argue that deploying clean tech to produce fossil fuels prolongs the life of carbon-emitting infrastructure. Rondo investor Andy Lubershane, a partner at Energy Impact Partners, views it differently. For clean tech startups like Rondo, "it's hard to find a customer to do your first commercial project," he said. "Having a partner like Holmes that has an interest in decarbonization" is critical to scaling technology. Using renewables and a heat battery lowers the carbon footprint of the project."

"Holmes also benefits from California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which regulates oil and gas producers in the state. By replacing natural gas with the solar and battery system, the oil company avoids 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually while also lowering costs, according to the battery startup's founder and Chief Innovation Officer John O'Donnell. Those avoided emissions allow the company to generate environmental credits, which can be sold or used to offset its own excess emissions. Holmes declined to comment."

A Bay Area startup activated the world's largest industrial heat battery at a Kern County enhanced oil recovery project. Holmes Western Oil replaced a natural gas-fired boiler with a 20-megawatt solar array paired with Rondo Energy's 100-megawatt-hour battery that heats clay bricks with electricity to generate steam for forcing oil from the ground. The system reduces onsite carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 13,000 tons annually and lowers operating costs, enabling the generation of Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits. Critics argue the approach prolongs fossil infrastructure, while some investors see partnerships as critical for scaling clean technology.

Read at The Mercury News