The technology utilizes a combination of phase change materials (PCMs) and a heat exchanger to store thermal energy. PCMs are materials that change their state from solid to liquid or vice versa, absorbing and releasing heat during these transitions. This process is known as latent heat storage.

Decarbonization of industrial heat is critical to reach net zero and it is technologically possible, even though there are still barriers to overcome in economic competitiveness and technology readiness, particularly for high-temperature processes (above 400°C). Designed and developed by the Magaldi Group, MGTES Magaldi Green Thermal Energy Storage is a sensible heat Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technology that utilizes a fluidized bed of solid particles. MGTES is 100% ESG compliant as it does not use rare materials but only silica sand, steel and other common components. It represents a Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) solution applicable to both Power-to-Heat and Power-to-Heat-to-Power applications.

Following a strategic agreement signed in 2023, MGTES technology will allow Enel X to supply its industrial customers with thermal energy in the form of steam at the desired temperatures and pressures, thereby reducing gas consumption and stabilizing the price of thermal energy. The first application will involve supplying green thermal energy to meet the energy needs of the food company IGI, a supplier of Ferrero Group, with headquarters in the Industrial Development Area of Buccino. At regime, it involves building a 2,5 MW photovoltaic plant and a 80 ton MGTES system with a daily storage capacity of 8,6 MWh of thermal energy. The MGTES system, which will become operational by the end of 2024, is expected to reduce IGI’s total consumption to 20%, as well as saving up to 600 tons of CO 2 annually, replacing them with renewable energy available throughout the day.

**A. Sand-Based System for Efficient Renewable Energy Storage**
**B.

This process is known as thermal energy storage. The MGTES system utilizes a fluidized bed of sand, which acts as a heat exchanger. The sand particles are heated by the renewable energy source, and the heat is then transferred to a secondary heat sink, typically a water tank or a heat recovery system. The sand particles are then cooled down, and the process repeats. This cyclical process allows for the storage of thermal energy.

MGTES can be connected to any energy source, also leveraging surplus availability, and generate 24/7 green industrial heat for virtually any application that uses steam in a preferred range of 150-400 °C. The modular design of the MGTES technology offers significant flexibility to suit the demands of the customers in terms of process temperatures, storage times, and demand patterns. By selecting the mass of solid particles contained in each module, thermal storage capacity of a single module can be configured over a wide range starting from 5 MWh to 100 MWh.