1414 Degrees (ASX:14D) highlights commercialisation plan for SiBox tech

• Energy storage specialist 1414 Degrees (14D) has unveiled a commercialisation pathway for its SiBox thermal energy storage tech today
• The company plans to build a demonstration module for the tech following 12 months of testing the SiBox product under a variety of conditions
• The $2 million, one-megawatt-hour (MWh) module is scheduled to be commissioned in September 2022
• This will precede a multi-module 75 MWh commercial pilot, which is set to be commissioned in 2025
• The SiBox tech is a thermal energy storage device made to harness the head of molten silicon and store energy in the form of heat
• Shares in 1414 Degrees traded sideways for most of the day until dipping a slight 3.45 per cent in late-afternoon trade to close at 14 cents each

Energy storage specialist 1414 Degrees (14D) has unveiled a commercialisation pathway for its SiBox thermal energy storage tech today.

The company plans to build a demonstration module for the tech on the back of 12 months of testing the SiBox product under a variety of conditions in lab furnaces.

This demonstration module is expected to speed up the commercialisation of SiBox as a “competitive clean energy product”, according to 14D, as well as to advance the product’s technical readiness level and increase confidence in the product from customers.

The $2 million, one-megawatt-hour (MWh) demonstration module is set to be commissioned in September 2022.

14D will then take on a major testing program before it builds a multi-module 75 MWh commercial pilot, which is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025.

The company said it is already progressing partnerships and grants for the full SiBox commercialisation process.

What it SiBox?

1414 Degrees’ SiBox tech is a thermal energy storage device made to harness the head of molten silicon and store energy in the form of heat.

The tech is designed to withstand extremely high temperatures while storing the heat, which can then be transferred and used as a power generator as needed.

Importantly, the SiBox module can be tailored for specific applications with only minor design or operational changes — meaning it can be designed to build any scale of energy storage device for industrial and utility customers.

More than this, 14D claims the SiBox tech offers a unique solution to decarbonising heat and making the energy storage process more environmentally friendly

“It can use intermittent renewable energy sources to produce the high-temperature heat needed by industry, with the temperature able to be customised for different applications,” company management explained.

The tech has an operating temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius, which is far higher than conventional commercial thermal energy storage tech.

According to 14D, thermal energy storage alternatives like molten salts operate at less than 600 degrees Celsius, while temperates of up to 800 degrees Celsius are usually only provided by fossil fuels.

“SiBox is the only close-to- commercialisation technology capable of decarbonising this industrial sector,” 14D said.

In light of this, the company said the SiBox tech offers a competitive product for manufacturers and networks to invest in reliable energy in the form of heat or electricity.

Nevertheless, shares in 1414 Degrees traded sideways for most of the day until dipping a slight 3.45 per cent in late-afternoon trade to close at 14 cents each. The company has a $19 million market cap.