Nostromo Energy, a leader in the field of innovative thermal energy storage solutions, has been given a conditional commitment by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a $305.5 million loan guarantee. This substantial funding will be used to finance Project IceBrick®, an innovative project to deploy the company’s state-of-the-art IceBrick® thermal energy storage systems in 193 commercial buildings across California.
The DOE’s loan, offered under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, is a strong statement of the federal commitment to clean energy technologies and modernization of the U.S. power grid. The program aligns well with California’s ambitious target to have a 100% clean energy grid by 2045, and Project IceBrick® is one of the significant milestones in this journey.
Cooling systems are one of the most energy-intensive operations in the United States, and California is the second-largest energy consumer in the nation. Nostromo’s IceBrick® offers a transformative solution. It charges when energy is clean, renewable, and plentiful, and it discharges stored energy during periods of peak demand, reducing costs and emissions significantly. This technology, by time-shifting cooling loads, will offload the strain on the power grid and minimize reliance on gas peaker plants, which are predominantly located in disadvantaged communities.
The environmental benefits of Project IceBrick® will also be huge. The completed project will likely be capable of reducing 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and adding 170 MW (450 MWh) of on-site energy storage. This would go a long way toward meeting California’s climate goals and aid the transition to a better sustainable energy system.
Economic impacts are equally impressive: more than 200 new jobs will be created, including 170 peak construction roles. Nostromo Energy has committed to ensuring that 20% of the installations target disadvantaged communities, further amplifying the project’s social and economic value. Contractors from these areas will play a pivotal role in the deployment, fostering equity and opportunity in clean energy development.
The IceBrick® system itself exemplifies cutting-edge innovation. It utilizes ice-based thermal energy storage to manage energy consumption in commercial HVAC systems, making it particularly suitable for retrofits in hotels, office buildings, and data centers. Designed and manufactured in the U.S., the modular units can be installed without upfront costs through Nostromo’s “Energy Storage-as-a-Service” model. Additionally, the system functions as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), further enhancing grid efficiency by shifting up to 20% of peak energy loads.
Yoram Ashery, CEO of Nostromo Energy, emphasized the transformative potential of the project, noting its ability to serve both environmental and community needs. “This project will benefit not only commercial buildings but also electricity consumers in general, create hundreds of good-paying domestic jobs, and reduce emissions from gas peaker plants which mostly impact disadvantaged communities,” he said.
The DOE’s funding represents a historic first for thermal energy storage under the Title 17 program. As Project IceBrick® goes forward, it sets the stage for widespread adoption of clean energy technologies, fostering a modern grid capable of meeting the demands of a sustainable future.