EnergyNest’s thermal storage to replace natural gas at Austrian manufacturing plant

By Alice Grundy
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
The thermal battery will be used to support the manufacturing of bricks. Image: EnergyNest/Senftenbacher

Norwegian firm EnergyNest is to deploy its thermal battery storage technology at a manufacturing plant in Austria.

A thermal battery with a capacity of 6 – 8 MWh is to be installed at brick manufacturer Senftenbacher’s Austrian factory, making it EnergyNest’s second industrial customer.

The company first deployed its technology in a pilot at the Masfar Institute Solar Platform in Abu Dhabi in 2016.

The technology works by temporarily storing excess energy in the form of hot air from a tunnel furnace. This is then converted into steam and later reused in production.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The storage medium in the battery is a form of concrete dubbed ‘Heatcrete’, which EnergyNest claims has a lifespan of 30 -50 years without any degradation.

Christian Thiel, managing director at EnergyNest, said the project underlines the company’s “global leadership in thermal storage”.

“We are the first company to offer and already install market-ready thermal storage systems for the industry,” Thiel continued, adding the new project demonstrates that decarbonisation of major industrial energy users is “already technically possible and economically interesting”.

The production process and installation of the battery is expected to start in H2 of 2020, with the planning phase currently underway.

The manufacture of bricks is an energy-intensive process, which requires high-grade heat or stream. This is currently largely generated with natural gas, however the addition of the thermal battery means that this will be completely replaced.

Peter Flotzinger, managing director of Senftenbacher, said the company takes its climate responsibility “very seriously” and is sending a clear signal with the project.

There are a number of companies involved in various forms of thermal storage worldwide. Energy-Storage.news took an in depth look at some of them, as well as other contenders for long-duration storage, in a feature article: ‘Contenders: Long duration energy storage technologies and who’s behind them’, first published in Solar Media’s quarterly journal PV Tech Power.

Image: EnergyNest/Senftenbacher
24 February 2026
InterContinental London - The O2, London, UK
This isn’t just another summit – it’s our biggest and most exhilarating Summit yet! Picture this: immersive workshop spaces where ideas come to life, dedicated industry working groups igniting innovation, live podcasts sparking lively discussions, hard-hitting keynotes that will leave you inspired, and an abundance of networking opportunities that will take your connections to new heights!

Read Next

October 7, 2025
BSW-Solar has called on the German government to impose a target of 100GWh of cumulative operational BESS by 2030.
September 30, 2025
The power markets of Europe continue their shift to 15-minute settlement periods today (30 September), a reform which could increase the revenue opportunities for energy storage and other flexibility resources.
September 29, 2025
Advances in sodium-ion battery energy storage systems come from Peak Energy in the US, deploying its sodium-ion system in Colorado, and Phenogy, deploying Europe’s largest sodium-ion system in Germany.
August 27, 2025
An EU-backed energy storage capex support scheme in Lithuania will support as much as 4,000MWh of battery storage, the Ministry of Energy has said.
August 26, 2025
Suriya Edwards and Deborah Harvey, partners specialising in battery energy storage at law firm Freeths LLP, analyse new EU battery regulations around suppliers’ responsibility for collecting, treating and recycling collected batteries.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter