In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski we hear from Arden Jarrett, Business Development Officer at MGA Thermal.
MGA's name comes from "miscibility gap alloy", an approach to thermal energy storage developed over a decade by a team at University of Newcastle and which it is currently commercialising.
In late-June the company launched the first stage of its factory. That was followed this month by the announcement of an $8 million capital raise led by Main Sequence, and then $1.27 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The latter will help it build a medium-duration storage demonstrator at its Tomago site.
Arden tells us about joining the company in 2019, progress so far, and adoption of their brick-like units in Australia and overseas.
Episode guide
1:10 -- Joining the company at the beginning plus an explanation of miscibility gap alloys.
2:58 -- A short history of MGA and its technology.
4:04 -- Use cases.
6:27 -- IP protection.
7:27 -- The business model.
8:46 -- The team.
9:50 -- Converting coal and gas power stations here and in Europe.
11:06 -- The ARENA-backed project.
12:20 -- Newcastle's industrial transition.
Relevant links
MGA Thermal's website
https://www.mgathermalstorage.com/
Recent articles from @AuManufacturing about the company
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/mga-thermal-unveils-new-newcastle-manufacturing-facility
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/mga-thermal-awarded-1-27-million-by-arena-to-build-demonstrator-facility
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/mga-thermal-scales-up-for-thermal-energy-storage
Article in The Conversation from 2020 written by co-founders Professor Erich Kisi and Dr Alexander Post
https://theconversation.com/aussie-invention-could-save-old-coal-stations-by-running-them-on-zero-emissions-lego-blocks-144864
Interview with Kisi published in create this year
https://createdigital.org.au/solid-blocks-could-convert-coal-fired-power-stations-to-renewable-generators/
