Covestro Embraces Innovation with Rondo Energy's Heat Battery Deployment

Covestro is collaborating with Rondo Energy to implement an innovative heat battery for the first time. The Rondo Heat Battery stores intermittent renewable electricity and provides continuous high-temperature steam, presenting a sustainable alternative to traditional steam generation using fossil fuels.

The installation of the Rondo RHB100 heat battery is supported by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Catalyst foundation and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Scheduled to commence operations at Covestro’s Brunsbüttel site by the end of 2026, this project aims to generate ten percent of the site's steam needs, potentially reducing CO2 emissions by up to 13,000 tons annually.

Rondo Heat Batteries blend traditional materials with modern automation to capture electricity and produce high-temperature heat and power. These batteries store electrical energy as heat using bricks that have been utilized for heat storage in steel mills for centuries. The stored heat then powers a conventional boiler to produce zero-emission steam. This system allows intermittent storage of excess renewable electricity, ensuring a continuous supply of steam.

"As an innovation-driven company, we are thrilled to further develop and test promising concepts that advance our objectives of achieving a circular economy and climate-neutral production," says Dr. Thorsten Dreier, CTO of Covestro. "The heat battery represents such a concept: a groundbreaking technology that propels us closer to a sustainable future."

"Rondo Heat Batteries achieve significant decarbonization by modifying the energy source rather than the factory setup," stated Eric Trusiewicz, CEO of Rondo Energy. " We are pleased to partner with Covestro to showcase the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our system in real-world, large-scale operations over an extended duration. We are also excited about deploying in Brunsbüttel, where large flexible electricity loads are especially beneficial to the power grid."

For Covestro, steam generation plays a crucial role in the production process and constitutes a significant portion of energy consumption. Insights gained from this initial heat battery installation will enable Covestro to evaluate the feasibility of larger-scale implementations in the future.

Covestro is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality polymer materials and their components. The company's innovative products, processes, and methods contribute to sustainability and enhance the quality of life in various sectors. Covestro caters to global customers across vital sectors such as mobility, construction, residential living, and electrical and electronics industries. Additionally, Covestro's polymers are utilized in sports and leisure, telecommunications, healthcare, and the chemical industry.

Covestro is fully committed to the circular economy and aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, with Scope 3 emissions targeted for climate neutrality by 2050. In the fiscal year 2023, Covestro reported sales of EUR 14.4 billion. By the end of 2023, the company operated 48 production sites globally and employed approximately 17,500 people (full-time equivalents).