GEA is investing $US12.98 million in British boiler company, Caldera.
GEA will benefit from Caldera’s storage boilers which can store electricity in the form of heat that can be extracted on demand.
The product is suitable for a wide area of applications. GEA sees it as an important element within holistic concepts for decarbonising process heat demand between 100 and 200°C, which is typical for many industrial processes.
By combining GEA's heating solutions with Caldera's innovative storage boilers, it is possible to offer an affordable and reliable way of providing industrial customers with all-electric - and therefore low-carbon – heat.
A combined system joins the benefits of a highly efficient heat pump with the flexibility and fast response time of a storage boiler. This allows for the efficient decarbonisation of steam networks with varying demand profiles that are typical across a broad range of industries.
Heat pumps are a key enabler for the decarbonisation of process heating in industries such as food manufacturing, dairy production, breweries, distilleries and the pharmaceutical sector.
CEO of GEA's Heating & Refrigeration Technologies Division. Kai Becker, said there are major benefits in electrification and using thermal storage to deal with supply and demand volatility in generating heat.
“At GEA, we are committed to leading this transition. That's why we have invested into Caldera,” Becker said.
“Caldera's storage boiler is a milestone. It bridges the gap between variable renewable electricity generation and industrial process heat demand and offers a scalable, economically viable alternative to fossil fuel boilers.”
Becker said Caldera storage boilers in combination with GEA heat pumps are ideally suited to decarbonise fluctuating industrial heat demand between 100 and 200°C.
“With GEA's global reach, process and industrial heating expertise, we can accelerate the deployment of such complementary solutions to industries worldwide,” he said.
Caldera CEO, James Macnaghten, said this investment from GEO is a game-changing opportunity for the company and a strong endorsement of its technology.
“Having just started to sign early orders we know that we are on the right track. I believe that working with GEA and especially leveraging GEA's vast experience will help deploy our Storage Boilers into even more companies such as breweries, distilleries, the dairy industry as well as the food and pharmaceutical industries,” he said.
“The ultimate goal is reducing carbon emissions for the benefit of all.”