The Enel Group has partnered with Brenmiller Energy to launch a TES system in Santa Barbara, located in Italy’s Tuscany region that stores energy in crushed rocks. It can store up to 24 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity at a temperature of about 550°C for five hours. The sustainable TES system uses a two-stage charge and discharge process. During charging, the steam produced by the facility passes through pipes to heat crushed rocks. Upon discharging, the stored heat warms the pressurized water and generates steam for electricity. The system provides critical resiliency to the power plant.
This project is a part of a collaboration between Italian and Israeli entities. The Israeli Innovation Authority supported Brenmiller with one million euros in financing. The cooperation aims to accelerate partnerships between Israeli companies and large Italian industries.