Antora and POET Commission 5 GWh Thermal Battery
- C&I Storage Energy Storage News
Marin Holt
- 0
- 5 minutes read
- Storage Capacity: 5 GWh thermal energy storage
- Thermal Batteries Deployed: More than 200 Antora units
- Project Timeline: Construction to energy delivery in under 12 months
- Jobs Supported: Over 300 manufacturing and construction jobs
- Utility Partner: Otter Tail Power
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The System
The system employs over 200 individual Antora thermal batteries. These units store electricity as heat within insulated solid-carbon blocks. Electricity is drawn during periods of excess local generation, resistively heating the carbon blocks to high temperatures. The stored heat is then delivered to drive industrial processes at the bioethanol plant. This thermal output displaces fossil fuel combustion that POET would otherwise employ for process heat in fermentation, distillation, and dehydration of corn-derived ethanol. Antora structures the project around a long-term heat offtake agreement, under which POET pays for delivered thermal energy at a contracted price. Otter Tail Power, the regional electric utility, acts as the utility partner, enabling charging during off-peak and low-cost periods. Energy-Storage.News reported the structure permits the system to charge during periods of excess local energy production, allowing 24-hour thermal delivery without raising costs for other grid customers. Antora’s thermal batteries are manufactured at the company’s San Jose, California gigafactory. The project supports more than 300 jobs across South Dakota construction and California manufacturing, according to the companies.
Why It Matters
POET Bioprocessing operates one of the largest bioethanol production fleets in the United States. The company has identified industrial heat decarbonization as a critical input cost reduction lever. Andrew Ponec, CEO of Antora, stated the storage approach is “the cheapest, most scalable way to store huge amounts of energy” for industrial heat applications. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) commented the project “will have a real economic impact in South Dakota while also creating jobs.” Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) described the deployment as a “critical investment in affordable, reliable and secure energy.” The 5 GWh capacity figure refers to total stored thermal energy, not its electrical equivalent. The system is designed for multi-day duration, allowing POET to ride through extended periods when grid electricity is not economic for charging.
Critical Perspective
Antora has not disclosed the per-unit MW peak thermal output rating, the round-trip energy efficiency from electricity to delivered process heat, the contracted price per MMBtu under the heat offtake agreement, or the total project capital cost. The company has not disclosed whether the project received federal investment tax credits under Inflation Reduction Act provisions for industrial decarbonization. The bioethanol plant’s previous boiler fuel mix, fossil fuel displacement quantity in MMBtu per year, and projected carbon intensity reduction for POET’s ethanol output have also not been published.
