# How Rondo Energy Stores Electricity as High-Temperature Industrial Heat > A system that converts cheap renewable electricity into continuous, high-temperature heat for factories by using two stages of thermal storage units that can charge and discharge independently. - **Patent:** US 12486789 - **Original title:** Thermal energy storage systems for use in material processing - **Owner:** Rondo Energy Inc - **Granted:** 2025 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 0 - **Field:** energy, mechanical, industrial_manufacturing ## What it does This system uses a two-stage thermal battery design to turn electricity into steady industrial heat. A primary storage unit is heated by electricity, which then warms a working fluid. This fluid travels to secondary storage units, which act as heat exchangers to warm up a process gas for industrial use. By having multiple secondary units, the system can charge one unit while another is discharging, ensuring the factory receives a constant stream of heat even if the electricity source is intermittent. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover systems that lack a two-stage architecture with primary and secondary storage units. - Does not cover direct electrical heating of process gases without the intermediate working fluid stage. - Does not cover thermal storage systems that cannot operate in charging and discharging modes simultaneously. ## The clever bit The system uses a two-stage design where the working fluid and the process gas can be at different pressures and compositions, allowing the heat storage medium to be isolated from the industrial process gas itself. ## Real-world examples 1. Rondo Heat Battery 2. Industrial brick-based thermal energy storage 3. Renewable-powered cement manufacturing ## Why it matters Industrial processes like cement and steel production require massive amounts of constant heat, usually provided by burning fossil fuels. This patent provides a pathway to replace those fuels with renewable electricity by solving the 'intermittency problem'—the fact that wind and solar power aren't always available when a factory needs them. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Rondo Energy Stores Electricity as High-Temperature Industrial Heat cover? A system that converts cheap renewable electricity into continuous, high-temperature heat for factories by using two stages of thermal storage units that can charge and discharge independently. ### Who owns patent US 12486789? Rondo Energy Inc owns this patent, granted in 2025. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on December 2, 2045, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What problem does this patent solve? Industrial processes like cement and steel production require massive amounts of constant heat, usually provided by burning fossil fuels. This patent provides a pathway to replace those fuels with renewable electricity by solving the 'intermittency problem'—the fact that wind and solar power aren't always available when a factory needs them. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover systems that lack a two-stage architecture with primary and secondary storage units. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12486789/spacex-structures-philosophy **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US12486789 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [Making Iron More Efficiently and Generating Power with Oxygen](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8133298/blast-furnace-iron-production-with-integrated-power-generation) — This patent describes an integrated system that uses extra oxygen in a blast furnace to make iron more efficiently, while also capturing the furnace's waste gases to generate electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. - [TerraPower's Molten Salt Reactor with Internal Heat Exchangers](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11728052/fast-spectrum-molten-chloride-test-reactors) — This patent describes a unique molten salt nuclear reactor design by TerraPower, featuring an open-topped vessel and integrated heat exchangers for efficient internal cooling and fuel circulation. - [How a Battery Automatically Disconnects Itself During Overheating](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12288901/draco-thrusters) — A safety system for battery packs that uses a heat-sensitive material to physically break the electrical connection between cells if they get too hot, preventing thermal runaway. - [How Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes Are Made](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4357215/lithium-ion-cathode-goodenough) — A foundational 1982 method for creating the materials used in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries by removing ions at low temperatures. - [How to Build Solid-State Batteries with Tiny Holes for Better Electrolyte](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11942620/solid-state-battery-with-uniformly-distributed-electrolyte-and-methods-of-fabric) — This patent describes a method for manufacturing solid-state batteries by punching small holes through battery electrodes and then filling these holes with a liquid that hardens into a solid electrolyte, aiming for more efficient power delivery.