Rondo Energy
Delivering Zero-Carbon Industrial Heat

Rondo Energy: Delivering Zero-Carbon Industrial Heat

Jeremy Keller, Vice President, Rondo EnergyJeremy Keller, Vice President
With industrial heating applications contributing to one-fifth of global CO2 emissions, its decarbonization has become paramount to the growing movement toward greener operations. However, the industrial sector is struggling to reduce its carbon footprint, mainly because of its over-reliance on fossil fuel-based industrial heating. The deep-rooted nature of most CO2-emitting industrial processes makes adopting greener heating technology difficult without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Rondo Energy is addressing this problem with the Rondo Heat Battery product, a drop-in replacement for the existing fossil-fired heating sources. Rondo’s batteries use emissionsfree and low-cost renewable electricity sources for heat generation and thermal storage, enabling businesses to achieve profitable decarbonization. The company’s innovative heat batteries allow easy integration with existing equipment within industrial companies, eliminating operational disruptions and significant downtime.

The working of the Rondo Heat Battery is quite intriguing. The batteries charge intermittently from wind, solar, or conventional grids. This electricity is used in electric-resistant heaters that uniformly heat the bricks within the battery. The bricks, made from safe and widely available materials, store thermal energy and dispatch it as hot air or steam 24/7 to industrial processes. How? Within the battery, air is blown across the heated bricks, which is then delivered to conventional boiler equipment to produce zero-carbon steam with temperatures reaching up to 1,500°C. The batteries provide on-demand heating for continuous application by integrating with industrial boilers, kilns, calciners, and process units.

What makes the Rondo Heat Battery exceptional is its ability to bring a company’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions down to zero at markedly lower costs than other emissions management pathways. Rondo claims to be twice the efficiency of green hydrogen used for heating at half the cost, for example.
The Rondo batteries also provide flexibility to expand capacity over time as businesses slowly decrease the usage of fossil-fuel-based heating assets. Above all, the focal point of the battery is its small footprint and high intrinsic safety for installation.

“We deliver highly bankable industrial heating decarbonization projects and help electric utilities expand their businesses without increasing their emissions. Our heat batteries achieve this by integrating renewables like wind and solar power with conventional heating equipment,” says Jeremy Keller, VP of project development, Rondo Energy.

With such competencies and an expert leadership team at its helm, Rondo Energy has commercialized its batteries and is developing its first customer units. These companies sought to replace their old fossil-fire boilers to both lower costs and advance decarbonization objectives. Rondo Energy is supporting them in accelerating these desired objectives by installing Rondo Heat Batteries with minimal disruption to their operations.

  • We deliver highly bankable industrial heating decarbonization projects and help electric utilities expand their businesses without raising their emissions


By charging with intermittent electricity, the battery will also help them reduce the use of fossil fuel-based electric utilities, driving significant cost savings. Above all, these installations are helping customers cut down their pollution, improving local air quality. When connected to the grid, the batteries can efficiently enhance grid stability by taking in power that would otherwise be curtailed, enabling improved energy arbitrage and demandoptimized energy management.

Rondo Energy is renowned for delivering the world’s lowestpriced zero-carbon industrial heat, powering industrial processes with renewable electricity, cutting energy costs, and eliminating emissions without disrupting existing facilities worldwide. With its ability to seamlessly deliver low-cost and zero-carbon thermal energy from renewable sources, the company also aids electric utility providers by enabling electrified and zero-emission industrial heating. Rondo Energy aims to continue facilitating electricity-based industrial heating applications and help clients adopt greener processes without facing the conventional hurdles of leveraging renewable power for round-the-clock heating processes.

Rondo Energy News

Rondo Energy Announces World's Highest Temperature Thermal Energy Storage

• First commercial Rondo Heat Battery provides long-duration energy storage at the world’s highest temperatures with industry-leading efficiency
• First-of-its-kind commercial installation delivers Heat-as-a-Service to lower the carbon intensity of fuel ethanol, paving the way for large-scale, cost-effective industrial decarbonization

ALAMEDA - Rondo Energy, a leading provider of zero-carbon industrial heat, and Calgren Renewable Fuels, a producer of the world’s lowest carbon intensity (CI) biofuels, today announced the start of commercial operation of a 2MWh Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) at Calgren’s facility in Pixley, California.

The Rondo Heat Battery captures intermittent renewable electricity, stores it at very high temperatures in brick materials, and delivers continuous industrial heat on demand. Calgren Renewable Fuels produces the world’s lowest CI ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable natural gas at their Pixley facility. Rondo is proud to be working with Calgren on this first step in further reducing both the cost of production and the carbon intensity of today’s biofuels. About half of the total carbon emissions of liquid biofuels comes from fossil fuel used in the refining processes. Rondo Heat Batteries eliminate these emissions by replacing fuel combustion with renewable electricity, dropping into existing facilities without process changes.

Without any process or feedstock changes, biofuels produced using clean Rondo heat and power double the CO2 savings per gallon.
The RHB is delivering heat to Calgren on a Heat-as-a-Service (HaaS) basis, supplying energy at a cost per MMBtu lower than gas-fired heat. Rondo’s HaaS enables industrial producers to enjoy low and predictable energy costs without upfront capital.

Rondo’s 2MWh deployment for Calgren Renewable Fuels is a milestone both for energy storage and for the future of ethanol production, for several reasons:
First-of-its-Kind Energy Storage: This is the first electric thermal energy storage (ETES) system in commercial operation in the U.S. ETES technologies are an important new tool for decarbonization because they deliver industrial heat using half as much electricity as green hydrogen.

Highest Temperature Heat: This installation is the highest temperature ETES system in commercial operation worldwide, storing and transferring energy above 1,000°C. Rondo Heat Batteries provide both industrial steam and the high temperature heat needed for producing steel, chemicals, and cement, using half as much electricity as hydrogen systems.

Lower Cost Energy: This project delivers cost savings to Calgren by reducing energy costs. Because energy is a major portion of total operating costs for fuel producers and other industries, lower cost energy improves industrial competitiveness, preserves jobs, and encourages investment.
Highest Efficiency Storage: This Rondo Heat Battery is among the highest efficiency energy storage of any kind in the world, with documented efficiency over 90%. Larger Rondo Heat Batteries store energy at over 98% efficiency.

Fast to Scale: Rondo Heat Batteries use only widely available materials and can be rapidly produced at the large scale urgently needed to decarbonize industries worldwide.

Made in California: The battery modules in this system were manufactured by Rondo in Alameda, California, and other major elements were manufactured in Bakersfield, California.

Local Air Quality and Jobs: By replacing combustion with renewable electricity, Rondo Heat Batteries eliminate the NOx, SOx, and fine particulates that are harmful to California communities, and reduce the cost of energy for some of California’s most important industries. Repowering industries with renewable electricity can keep California industries competitive in a low-carbon world, preserving jobs and improving air quality in their communities.
Zero-Carbon Ethanol: Rondo Heat Batteries can reduce the CI of ethanol production by 50%. When combined with carbon capture technology, they produce high-value fuels with zero CI; these fuels are very high value when used both for ground transport and for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
RHBs are designed to integrate seamlessly into both existing and new facilities. This RHB was installed and commissioned without causing a single hour of facility downtime.

“This partnership is one small step for Rondo and Calgren, and one giant leap forward for industrial decarbonization worldwide. We’re excited to be working with Calgren on this journey. Repowering today’s industrial facilities to drive deep decarbonization—this is what the energy transition looks like,” said John O’Donnell, CEO of Rondo Energy.

“From construction through commissioning, my team and I were impressed that the Rondo Heat Battery caused no disruption or slow-down to Calgren’s operations,” said Lyle Schlyer, President of Calgren Renewable Fuels. “We’re looking forward to this unit proving itself, because we see the Rondo Heat Battery as a potential “perfect fit” solution for us—a low-cost source of zero-carbon heat for our facilities that can extend our reach toward the lowest-carbon, highest-value biofuels produced anywhere.”

Top 10 Utilities Emission Management Solutions Companies – 2022

Company
Rondo Energy

Management
Jeremy Keller, Vice President

Description
Rondo Energy delivers zero-carbon industrial heat in the form of a Rondo Heat Battery that powers industrial processes with renewable electricity, cutting energy costs and eliminating emissions.