As the global mission to transition from fossil fuels intensifies, the discussion has widened beyond how energy is produced. The conversation now includes matters just as important—how it's stored and delivered. While batteries and hydrogen still dominate the conversation, thermal energy storage is quietly gaining ground as a practical solution—especially in industries where heat, not electricity, is the primary demand. Brenmiller Energy, an Israeli-based thermal energy storage company, enables this transition with its innovative method of storing energy as heat using crushed rocks.
Brenmiller was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2025 Edison Awards in the Energy Management and Storage category on Thursday. The Edison Awards, which recognize innovation across multiple sectors, acknowledged Brenmiller's distinct approach to thermal storage—an approach that focuses on efficiency, longevity, and adaptability to real-world industrial needs.
The company's core technology, called bGen™, works by converting electricity or waste heat into thermal energy and storing it in a bed of crushed rock. Depending on the application, that heat can later be released as steam, hot air, or hot water. This form of storage differs from the more familiar lithium-ion battery systems in several key ways. It avoids dependence on rare minerals, offers a long operational life with minimal degradation, and is well-suited for industrial environments where high temperatures are essential. That's important, considering that an estimated 60% of all manufacturing utilizes heat at some point in production.
While Brenmiller's technology can be used alongside renewable electricity sources, it is particularly geared toward industries looking to decarbonize heat-intensive processes. This includes sectors like manufacturing, chemicals, and food production—areas that are traditionally hard to decarbonize because they rely so heavily on fossil fuels for thermal energy. In many of these cases, the need isn't just for power, but for heat that can be delivered reliably and affordably over time.
Unlike many storage solutions that provide limited grid services or short-duration balancing, Brenmiller's systems are designed to operate at an industrial scale and to provide 24/7/365 energy storage and on-demand delivery. The company has already deployed its bGen technology in several locations, including Europe and Latin America, and has recently opened a production facility in Israel to support larger-scale deployment, including the buildout of its bGen system for Tempo Beverages, a Heineken subsidiary and one of the largest beverage manufacturers in the region.
Its Edison Award win suggests that thermal energy storage is beginning to receive broader recognition for its technical merit and relevance in addressing specific decarbonization challenges. As policy and market incentives evolve to support lower-emission technologies, solutions like Brenmiller's may offer industries a different—but necessary—path toward carbon reduction.
Brenmiller Energy's work illustrates how innovation in storage doesn't always have to follow the dominant trends. In sectors where heat is a central need and electrification alone falls short, thermal energy systems like bGen may fill a gap that other technologies have yet to address. And with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in thermal energy storage systems through private investment, the technology may penetrate markets faster than many think.
That's excellent news, not only for the companies in the space, but also for the planet.