Austrian start-up Emerald Horizon plans hybrid energy storage system

Austrian start-up Emerald Horizon plans to sell a hybrid battery and molten-salt storage system to fund the future development of a container-sized thorium reactor, Power Magazine reported. The Graz-based company intends to deploy its commercial storage technology first while it works on its long-term nuclear technology. [1]

Power Magazine reported that Emerald Horizon AG plans to add an accelerator-driven thorium generator to its hybrid storage units at a later stage. The proposed thorium generator currently remains in an early stage of development. [1]

Battery energy storage systems use groups of batteries to store electrical energy on the grid. These systems are the fastest responding dispatchable power source on electric grids and can transition from standby to full power in under one second to deal with grid contingencies. [2]

Mario Müller, the vice president of research and development at Emerald Horizon AG, stated that Austria decided against nuclear power in the late 1970s and has not revisited the policy since then. [1]