🔥 Is it just a glorified toaster? Not quite: At more than 1500 °C (2700 °F), the carbon blocks inside Antora's unique thermal batteries are resistively heated (like toaster coils heat bread), storing energy glowing-hot at >1/4 the temperature of the Sun's surface. Our guest for this episode, Leah Kuritzky (Antora's Head of PV Operations) tells BioZen's CEO Nate Kirchhofer that the stored thermal energy can be used on demand, directly as heat for industrial processes (think anything from boiling water to melting steel), or converted back to electricity using thermophotovoltaic cells (which is Leah's expertise at Antora), all without burning fossil fuels.
Just like any other battery, including Li-ion, you charge Antora's battery with electricity. If it's renewable-energy-generated electricity—the cheapest form of primary energy in the world—it's going to be intermittent due to natural fluctuations in wind and sunshine. And that's where Antora shines: soaking up excess power when it's overgenerated and/or cheap, and then delivering it back 24/7 on demand. "It's really a beautiful marriage of technology and economics to tackle climate change," she says. And this is critical because 30 percent of all global emissions come from industry, with industrial heat alone accounting for 10 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.
Stick around to hear about Antora's recent pilot near Fresno, CA and learn more about Leah's career path from energy efficient lighting (LEDs) to energy storage, guided by a focus on environmental impact, sustainability, and climate change. She has advice for anyone looking to pursue cleantech or make a jump to a new career.
Recorded 26 September 2023.
[BioZen Batteries produces this show as part of the Clean Power Media Group at cleanpower.media. If you would like to interact more, please send us an email at hello@biozenbatteries.com, write a comment, like, follow, share, or even leave us a voice message on your favorite episodes. If you like our content, please support production with a recurring monthly donation here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beyondlithium/support]
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.