Exowatt Brick Battery | Energy Central

Canary Media: “Exowatt aims to repurpose old tech to deal with new AI power demand.” Miami–based Exowatt has developed a tripartite combination heat collector, heat battery, + heat engine to provide emissions-free juice for power-hungry AI firms like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, + Microsoft. “AI models have been doubling in size every 3 months—a pace that requires significantly more data center power,” says Jack Abraham, cofounder.” After decades of stability in the U.S. electricity sector, power demand is now expected to rise due to the electrification of vehicles and buildings, the Biden-era boom in domestic manufacturing, + the AI-fueled expansion of massive data centers.” Exowatt has developed a transportable + modular shipping-container-sized installation. First, they employ a Fresnel lens, a technological antique invented in the early 1800s, to focus and concentrate the energy of the sun onto its hot bricks. Then, “at night or on cloudy days, Exowatt’s machine can heat the bricks to a temperature of 1,000ºC with electric resistive coils like those used in a toaster—powered by green energy sources such as wind, solar, or a clean grid.” Second, solar energy is stored as heat in a thermal battery (fancy term for a hot brick) that can hold its energy for up to 24 hours. Manufacturers have used hot bricks to save energy in the blast furnaces used for steel production for centuries. Third, they use an invention by Scottish clergyman and engineer Robert Stirling. His Stirling engine converts heat to power by harnessing a temperature difference in a gas to drive pistons to operate a generator to release the energy as electricity. ‘Exowatt aims to ​“eventually” offer firm, clean electricity for 1¢ per kWh without subsidies, according to CEO and co-founder Hannan Parvizian, which is a fraction of today’s power prices—renewable or not—and a cost that would enable emissions-free data centers and a lot more if realized.’ Gosh, wish I could purchase electricity for that price. Except we have home solar, + the grid functions as my day-to-day battery. So we’re good. Too big for our driveway anyway.