Hardware Podcasts

Decarbonizing Industrial Heat with John O’Donnell, CEO at Rondo Energy

Hardware to Save a Planet · 11 May 2023 · 44m · Episode 26

AI in practice: one real use of AI described

What this episode covers

John O’Donnell, CEO of Rondo Energy, explains how his company uses electric thermal energy storage to decarbonize industrial heat, a sector responsible for 74% of industrial energy use. He details the Rondo Heat Battery, which stores heat in brick using resistive elements to deliver continuous high-temperature steam or air, offering a cheaper alternative to hydrogen for near-term decarbonization. O’Donnell discusses the company's $22 million Series A, its 'heat as a service' business model, and the strategic advantage of using abundant, low-cost materials like clay compared to exotic minerals required by other storage technologies.

AI in practice

Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.

Engineering & simulation

The company is implementing asset management and surveillance systems that use data analysis to monitor fleet performance and detect internal unit divergences from expected behavior.

“There is another set of areas having to do with asset management and surveillance. You're going to have fleets of thousands, 100s of these. Are they all performing internally the way we expect? Or do we see any divergence in a small number of outside things that we're measuring that we're going to fold back and say, oh, something's happening inside that unit? Again, that's an area where phenomenal work has gone into management of other kinds of assets.”

John O'Donnell · Hear it at 32:58

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Rondo Energy, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Products
Rondo Heat Battery

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