In Adelaide, a homegrown technology is quietly solving one of industry’s most intractable climate challenges: how to decarbonise high-temperature heat.
Industrial heat makes up nearly a quarter of Australia’s total energy use. Reducing carbon emissions from this process heat is a critical step in the country’s clean energy transition.
While electrification and renewable energy are reshaping power generation, industries requiring ultra-high-temperature heat often rely on fossil fuels with no easy alternative. Until now.
SiBox is a thermal energy storage system designed to deliver reliable, decarbonised heat up to 900°C. Developed by Adelaide-based 1414 Degrees, this technology stores electricity as heat in silicon, a material chosen for its exceptional energy density, and supplies it on demand to industrial processes.
Unlike intermittent renewable energy, SiBox can provide ultra-high temperature heat 24/7, bridging the gap between clean electricity supply and the needs of heavy industry.
The science behind SiBox
1414 Degrees traces its roots to a CSIRO-developed concept in 2009 that stored concentrated solar thermal energy in molten silicon. Since then, the company has pivoted toward direct electrification using grid or on-site renewable energy, heating silicon to store energy and then releasing it as thermal output when needed.
“SiBox’s core advantage lies in silicon’s thermal properties,” explained Chief Technology Officer Dr Mahesh Venkataraman. “Silicon’s latent heat capacity, the energy absorbed or released during phase change, exceeds 1800 kJ/kg. This is three to four times higher than other materials, including metals or sand.”
This allows SiBox to compactly store and deliver ultra-high temperature heat between 200°C and 900°C on demand. The result is a modular unit capable of providing heat to industrial customers around the clock.
Venkataraman highlights the scale of the challenge SiBox tackles.
“In Australia, 25-30 per cent of total energy use is process heat. For sectors like transport or general electricity, decarbonisation options are advancing rapidly, including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and commercially viable renewables. But for high-temperature industrial heat, commercially ready solutions are scarce.”
Process heat demands vary widely. Around 40 per cent requires temperatures below 300°C, suitable for manufacturing daily products or building materials.
However, processes above 600°C, such as steelmaking, cement production or alumina refining, currently have limited clean energy options.
“We can provide heat anywhere from 200-900°C,” Venkataraman said. “SiBox covers a wide temperature range, which is a key advantage. We are among the few technologies at a high technology readiness level, ready for commercial demonstration.”
Supporting grid resilience
SiBox’s innovation comes from using silicon as a thermal energy storage medium. Silicon’s latent heat capacity is several times greater than metals or materials such as sand, allowing a large amount of energy to be stored in a compact system.
Electricity from renewable sources or the grid charges the system by heating silicon blocks to high temperatures, essentially storing electrical energy as heat. This heat is released on demand to supply industrial processes, providing a continuous, ultra-high temperature heat source independent of weather or time of day.
“This approach responds to industries with stable, round-the-clock heat demands, which are often incompatible with the variability of renewable energy sources like solar and wind,” Venkataraman explained.
SiBox also helps balance electricity grid demand and supply.
Venkataraman referred to the “duck curve,” describing the challenge grids face with high renewable penetration. During the day, rooftop solar reduces electricity demand from the grid, but in the evening, demand spikes sharply as solar generation falls.
“This demand variability causes price fluctuations and stress on the grid,” Venkataraman said. “SiBox’s control system charges when grid demand and prices are low and discharges heat when demand and prices are high. This strategy helps industrial users reduce energy costs and supports grid stability.”
In practice, SiBox acts as an intelligent buffer between the grid and industrial heat demand, absorbing excess renewable energy during low-demand periods and supplying heat when energy prices peak.
Future potential
SiBox is advancing towards commercial demonstration. The technology readiness level is above seven, with multiple installations underway to prove integration with large industrial furnaces.
“Our initial focus is on industries with low to medium temperature heat needs, including daily products, petrochemicals, and building materials,” Venkataraman said. “In the future, we aim to expand into higher temperature processes such as steelmaking.”
The system’s flexibility to operate across a broad temperature spectrum is one of its defining strengths, offering a scalable pathway to decarbonise a wide range of heat-intensive industries.
1414 Degrees is also developing a complementary technology called Cipher, a storage-integrated hydrogen reactor designed to decarbonise methane gas by producing hydrogen on demand, mixed into natural gas pipelines.
“This technology is at an earlier stage, TRL two, but we aim to reach TRL five within two years,” Venkataraman revealed. “By introducing hydrogen into existing gas supplies, homes and factories can reduce carbon emissions without changing their infrastructure.”
Reducing emissions from industrial heat remains complex given its high temperature and continuous operation needs. SiBox offers industries a flexible, reliable way to harness renewable electricity and meet these demands.
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