North Rhine-Westphalia's Industry
Your Partner for Thermal Battery Solutions in North Rhine-Westphalia
In the industrial heartland of Germany, VIRDI delivers the key technology to decarbonize process heat across North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Our thermal battery solutions empower you to replace fossil fuels, harnessing the state's growing renewable energy resources to generate reliable, high-temperature steam, securing your operations and cutting CO₂ emissions as part of the state's ambitious Strukturwandel (structural change).
For businesses in NRW's key sectors, especially chemicals, steel, paper, and food & beverage, replace your volatile gas supply with stable, low-cost heat derived from the grid and achieve your decarbonization targets with confidence.
Create a new, profitable market for your power generation assets. Couple your renewable energy source with our thermal battery (Power-to-Heat) to supply NRW's industrial base with valuable, 24/7 process heat.
Expand your portfolio with cutting-edge energy technology. By integrating our bGen™ system, you can provide industrial clients in North Rhine-Westphalia with innovative ‘Heat-as-a-Service’ (HaaS) contracts—delivering reliable, sustainable, and cost-efficient heat while positioning your business as a pioneer in the energy transition.
Why Decarbonizing Process Heat is a Strategic Priority in North Rhine-Westphalia
The electrification of industrial heat is the decisive lever for a successful and prosperous energy transition within North Rhine-Westphalia's powerful economy. For local industries, this presents a clear strategic imperative.
Powering Europe's Industrial Engine
The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region is one of the largest industrial clusters in the world. Its chemical parks, steel mills, and manufacturing plants have a massive and continuous demand for process heat. Electrifying this heat is essential for these industries to decarbonize, remain globally competitive, and secure hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Driving a Successful "Strukturwandel"
As NRW transitions away from its legacy of coal, clean technologies are the key to a successful economic transformation. Thermal batteries create new, high-value uses for electricity, generate sustainable savings for local businesses, and are a powerful symbol of a modern, green industrial future.
Providing Energy Security and Cost Stability
The state's industrial base is highly exposed to volatile natural gas prices. Thermal batteries offer a stable, electrified alternative, providing long-term cost predictability for essential process heat and insulating businesses from geopolitical energy risks.
Capitalizing on Growing Renewable Energy
With the ongoing expansion of wind and solar power in and around NRW, there will be increasing periods of low-cost renewable electricity. Our thermal batteries are designed to capture this abundant, low-cost power and convert it into high-value heat for industry, turning a grid challenge into a competitive advantage.
VIRDI provides the technology and expertise to implement the industrial heat transition in North Rhine-Westphalia reliably and economically.
At the core of our solution is the innovative bGen™ technology from our partner Brenmiller Energy. It enables a highly efficient and cost-effective electrification of your heat-dependent processes, turning renewable electricity into industrial-grade steam.
Our thermal batteries use electric heaters—powered by low-cost electricity from the grid—to heat a storage medium of crushed rock to very high temperatures. This stored heat is then used on demand to generate high-temperature steam (up to 550°C) for your industrial processes, reliably and with zero on-site emissions. It's a simple, robust, and highly effective way to replace your gas boilers.
Thanks to a modular design that is scalable from 10 MWh to over 1 GWh, the system can be flexibly tailored to your specific heat demand at your facility in NRW. The integration into your existing steam infrastructure is fast and designed to minimize operational downtime, ensuring a smooth transition.
We offer two options for your project in North Rhine-Westphalia to best suit your financial strategy: the direct purchase of the system (CAPEX), or our "Heat-as-a-Service" (HaaS) model, an energy service contract where you only pay for the heat you consume (OPEX), avoiding the upfront investment entirely.
Your Advantages with VIRDI Thermal Batteries
Choosing to electrify your heat with VIRDI's thermal batteries provides a range of powerful, long-term advantages for your business.
Unmatched Durability and Long Lifespan
The bGen™ technology uses natural, non-degrading materials like crushed rock. This allows for an operational lifetime of over 30 years without the cycle degradation known from chemical batteries, ensuring a reliable and long-lasting asset for your facility.
Maximum Cost-Effectiveness
With a competitive cost per unit of stored energy (kWh) and the ability to charge using low-cost electricity from the grid, our systems are an economically attractive and often cheaper alternative to conventional gas boilers over the project's lifetime.
Low Supply Chain and Material Risk
We use low-cost, globally abundant materials like steel and rock, avoiding the supply chain volatility and ethical concerns associated with materials like cobalt or lithium. Our partnership with Brenmiller Energy's gigafactory ensures unrivaled production capacity and supply chain security.
Zero On-Site Emissions
Our technology allows you to replace fossil fuels one-for-one and completely eliminate the CO₂ emissions from your on-site heat generation. This will decisively accelerate the achievement of your company's decarbonization goals and strengthen your position as a sustainable leader in North Rhine-Westphalia.
We have streamlined our development process into four clear and simple phases, ensuring transparency and partnership at every step.
The journey begins when you contact us. Our engineers provide a no-obligation analysis of your specific heat requirements, steam parameters, and operational processes to determine the ideal system for your needs.
Based on the analysis, we design the optimal thermal storage system for your facility and provide a detailed technical and commercial proposal, outlining the costs, savings, and benefits.
The modular components are manufactured and then expertly integrated into your plant's infrastructure in NRW by our team of specialists, with a clear plan to minimize disruption.
We commission the system and ensure its long-term high performance and efficiency through our dedicated service offerings, providing you with reliable, clean heat for decades to come.
Decarbonize Your Industrial Heat in Germany's Industrial Heartland!
Switching to clean process heat is the next logical step to securing your competitive advantage. Contact us for a no-obligation technical consultation and learn how our thermal storage solutions can advance your business in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Frequently Asked Questions
A thermal battery is a system that converts electrical energy into storable high-temperature heat. It uses electricity to heat a solid-state storage medium (like crushed rock). This heat can then be dispatched on demand, typically as steam, for use in industrial processes
It is ideal for any energy-intensive industry requiring process heat or steam. In NRW, this is particularly relevant for the chemical and pharmaceutical parks, steel production, paper and pulp mills, and the food and beverage industry.
In this model, VIRDI (or a partner) invests in and operates the thermal battery on your site. As the customer, you make no upfront investment (CAPEX) and simply pay a contractually agreed price for the amount of heat you actually use (OPEX)—similar to a natural gas supply contract.
The main difference is purpose and durability. Lithium-ion batteries store electricity to discharge it as electricity. Our thermal battery converts electricity to heat, which is far more efficient for thermal processes. Furthermore, it uses robust, non-degrading materials for a 30+ year lifespan, whereas lithium-ion batteries degrade with each charge cycle.
The footprint is relatively small thanks to the compact, modular design. The exact space requirement depends on the needed storage capacity. The system can be flexibly adapted to the conditions at your plant site in North Rhine-Westphalia.