TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Harnessing the Power of Innovation with Smart Rocks Thermal Energy Storage Solutions

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITYHarnessing the Power of Innovation with Smart Rocks Thermal Energy Storage SolutionsSmart Rocks delivers a non-hazardous, environmentally-friendly, and highly adaptable thermal energy storage solution for sustainable, reliable power - be it for small communities or off-world colonies.Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to explore a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this Smart Rocks Technology. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.Overview: The energy landscape is shifting, as engineers and policymakers grapple with the environmental implications of fossil fuels and the need for resilient energy grids. Amid these challenges, thermal energy storage (TES) solutions

emerge as a powerful tool to harness intermittent energy sources like wind and solar. At the forefront of these developments, Smart Rocks brings a novel approach to this age-old technology, offering a modular, sustainable, and highly stable solution that can meet the varying needs of communities worldwide.Description: Smart Rocks is a breakthrough in thermal energy storage technology, bridging the gaps of current solutions with its innovative approach. These units utilize metallic nanoparticle technology coupled with non-hazardous paraffin, calcium sulphate plaster, and cementitious materials to produce a non-electric chemical heat storage system. Designed with modularity in mind, Smart Rocks can be added or removed as per evolving storage needs, catering to diverse environments from urban landscapes to challenging terrains.Benefits: Environmental-Friendly: Composed of non-hazardous, sustainable materials.Safety: No fire or explosive hazard, unlike current Li-ion storage solutions.Compact: Reduces the physical footprint of thermal storage units, aiding in space management.Longer Heat Retention: Offers over 24 hours of heat retention, more than doubling the performance of existing technologies.Cost-Effective: Lower costs compared to traditional thermal energy storage solutions.Flexible: Modular design allows for scalability and easy adjustments to meet changing storage needs.Applications: Optimized storage for intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.Thermal energy storage for off-grid and remote locations.Supporting grid resilience in the face of fluctuating demand.Energy storage for potential off-world colonies.Integration with portable electronic devices, stationary power systems, and hybrid electric vehicles.Development Status: TRL 4: Technology has been validated in a laboratory environment. IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/509.234, “Particles for Thermal Energy Storage,” BEA Docket No. BA-1350. INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.