Antora Commissions One of the World’s Largest Energy Storage Projects to Power Industry

Thermal battery maker Antora Energy has installed one of the largest energy storage systems in the world (Business Wire).

What’s going on: Earlier this month, in partnership with biofuel producer POET, the Sunnyvale, California–based manufacturer booted up Project Big Stone, a five-gigawatt-hour, multiday thermal battery project in South Dakota that’s now delivering affordable energy 24/7 to POET’s Big Stone City, South Dakota, bioprocessing facility.     

• The project advanced from an empty lot to delivering energy in under a year—demonstrating the company’s ability to quickly meet growing domestic energy demand.   

Why it’s important: The endeavor, a significant investment in rural manufacturing and agricultural economies, “has created and supported over 300 manufacturing and construction jobs in rural South Dakota and at Antora’s recently expanded San Jose, California, gigafactory,” according to the company.

• Antora’s system supplies POET with round-the-clock, competitively priced energy, without raising prices for other ratepayers.
• By providing a new source of reliable energy, the project enables POET to increase production at the plant.
• The batteries deployed in South Dakota are scalable, capable of delivering firm energy to facilities and data centers worldwide.

The last word: “This is what reindustrialization looks like—American innovation driving industrial competitiveness, domestic supply chains spanning a dozen states and jobs from the factory floor to the construction site,” Antora Energy Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Ponec said.

• “And it’s all delivered at the speed required to meet soaring domestic energy demand.”