The Sorrel Heat Battery replicates the way the earth’s core stores heat in order to store large amounts of energy for anything from a few days to a few months.

How to store energy is a significant  barrier to the adoption of renewable energy. Energy sources – primarily sun and wind - are intermittent. Currently, users usually have to use their energy as it is generated, as there is no way to store the energy at scale to use later.

The company believes the new technology solves this problem. It stores energy in its purest form, heat. Its metal core is heated to up to 1750°C, and remains hot for many months. This heat can be used to create power when it is needed. It is clean, safe and extremely cost-effective, according to Sorrel Technology.

The battery stores energy by heating a combination of everyday metals surrounded by a new form of ceramic casing, which keeps the metals hot. This is surrounded by a protective safety covering. It uses innovative sold-state heat transfer technology to release the stored heat either to create steam, or to heat gases which in turn drive turbines, which then generate electricity.

 “This is the first time ever it has been possible to store large amounts of energy in a readily reusable form,” said John Seneschall, a spokesperson for Sorrel Technology.  “We know this makes energy derived from solar and wind the energy of the future. It’s now a case of no sun, no wind, no problem. The Sorrel Heat Battery can store energy for months. At the flick of a switch it can be producing electricity as and when it’s needed, in the most environmentally sound way imaginable.”

The battery can be developed in different sizes: small units (for mobile uses); medium-sized units for domestic applications; and large units to power whole communities.