1st Press Release

The European-funded STOREDGE project has officially launched with a mission to revolutionize thermal energy storage through the development of a novel thermochemical storage and upgrading system, targeting cost-effective, high-efficiency heat storage and long-duration solutions for the energy transition.

Funded under the Horizon Europe programme, STOREDGE brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of leading industrial, research, and academic institutions to develop and validate an innovative thermal storage system at TRL 4, based on structured metal hydroxides, primarily calcium hydroxide.

The STOREDGE system stands out for its ability to:

• Store medium-temperature heat from various sources, including industrial waste heat, solar energy, and off-peak green electricity;
• Upgrade stored heat to high temperatures suitable for supercritical power cycles and industrial applications;
• Provide scalable, long-duration storage from days to seasonal timescales with negligible thermal losses;
• Ensure cost-effectiveness through long system lifespan, simplified design, and compatibility with a wide range of power blocks and heat sources.

Unlike conventional thermal storage, the STOREDGE technology stores energy in chemical bonds rather than as sensible heat, allowing for indefinite storage at ambient temperature. By manipulating the water vapor pressure, the system enables dynamic adjustment of the equilibrium temperature, a key feature for effective heat discharge and process integration.

Over the next four years, the consortium will focus on:

• Designing a first-of-its-kind compact prototype;
• Conducting validation tests in relevant laboratory environments;
• Demonstrating the feasibility of continuous discharging and periodic charging tailored to industrial needs;
• Exploring additional applications and use-cases for the technology’s future scaling.

The project is coordinated by Twente University (Netherlands) and is implemented by a strong consortium of eight partners from across Europe, including Thermal and Material Engineering center LLC (Ukraine), Technische Universität Wien (Austria), IZNAB (Poland), Institute of Entrepreneurship Development – iED (Greece), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt – DLR (Germany), Danish Technological University – DTU (Denmark), COWI A/S (Denmark), and COBRA Instalaciones y Servicios S.A. (Spain). This diverse team ensures comprehensive expertise across thermochemical engineering, advanced materials, system integration, and exploitation of results, enabling robust innovation from lab-scale validation to future industrial deployment.

The STOREDGE project not only aligns with Europe’s decarbonization goals but also opens new avenues for innovation in the thermal energy storage market, potentially supporting grid flexibility and industrial decarbonization alike.

For more information, please visit: https://storedge-project.eu