Volts
Another hot rocks company gets in the storage game
Feb 7, 2024
Interview with Asegun Henry and Arvin Ganesan, founders of Fourth Power, a thermal storage startup. Topics include using liquid metal for heat transfer, maximizing durability of battery storage systems, funding and future pilots, scalability of the battery storage system, business case for renewable energy, controlling supply chains, and the impact of cheap clean electricity on humanity.
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Quick takeaways
- 4th Power uses thermal storage system with liquid tin and graphite to provide cost-effective and reliable grid-scale energy storage.
- 4th Power aims to outperform lithium-ion batteries by using abundant and low-cost materials, offering scalability and flexibility in storage duration.
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Technology Overview
The company, 4th Power, uses renewable electricity to heat up a box of rocks to store energy. They have developed a big energy storage system that is utility-scale and can be as large as half a football field. The system uses liquid tin as a heat transfer fluid, chosen for its corrosion resistance and low melting point. The heat from the liquid tin is transferred to large blocks of graphite, which glow white-hot and store the heat. The stored heat can then be converted back into electricity using thermal photovoltaic (TPV) cells. The system can provide short-term response times and is designed to compete in the longer-duration storage market as well.
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