Masdar, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and Sweden’s Azelio, specialised in a long-duration energy storage company, have launched an innovative Research and Development (R&D) project that will demonstrate 24/7 affordable clean energy utilisation at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.

The project is part of a three-party research and development agreement.

The Azelio storage system is now officially in operation with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and enables renewable and cost-efficient electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system will undergo extensive testing and demonstration at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP), in a desert environment that provides ideal solar conditions to generate full daily cycles of clean energy in combination with solar PV.

Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, and Founder & Chair of the MISP at Khalifa University, said, “The Khalifa University’s Masdar Institute Solar Platform provides a convergence of renewable energy research, development and demonstration, and serves as a foundation for the UAE’s ambition to achieve world-leading innovation in clean and renewable energy. The Azelio demonstration project is our flagship project and a success story for the MISP.”

Over the next 12 months, Khalifa University researchers will continuously operate Azelio’s electrical, thermal energy storage system, collecting and analysing the data while independently validating the system. At the end of the year, Khalifa University will report the system’s performance in the desert environment.

The system’s storage units will be demonstrated and evaluated on several criteria, including supplying renewable electricity round-the-clock to a system for atmospheric water generation that captures humidity and condensates it to usable water.

The capabilities of Azelio’s technology represent an important part of the renewable transition by making sustainable energy from, for example, cost-effective solar PV available at all hours of the day.

Abdulla Balalaa, Executive Director, Masdar City, said, “Masdar City is committed to facilitating R&D projects that bring ground-breaking new technologies to the market and positively contribute to regional and global energy security. Azelio’s TES.POD system is another excellent example of what collaboration and innovation can achieve. Developing technologies that both protect and guarantee a constant, secure, and affordable source of electricity is fundamental and this project is set to bring us closer to that goal.”

Azelio’s energy storage TES.POD stores energy as heat in a metal alloy made from recycled aluminium and silicon. The heat from the storage is transferred to a Stirling engine that enables a supply of electricity and usable heat on demand at all hours of the day, without emissions and at an affordable price. The system is scalable and competitive from 0.1 to 100 MWe.

Jonas Eklind, CEO and President of Azelio, said, “The strong position and deep knowledge in renewable energy of Masdar and Khalifa University make the MISP platform a perfect place to showcase and test our technology. We look forward to demonstrating our TES.POD together with other ground-breaking solutions and taking further steps towards a global establishment of the solution.”