Saltes Wins Entrance Professional Award 2025 for Innovative Thermal Battery
Groningen, Thursday, 26 June 2025.
Saltes received the Entrance Professional Award 2025 for their groundbreaking molten salt thermal battery, earning €100,000. This innovation stores renewable energy as heat for industrial use.
Revolutionary Technology for Energy Transition
The New Energy Forum, held on June 19, 2025, at the Zernike Campus in Groningen, served as the stage for awarding Saltes the prestigious Entrance Professional Award 2025. Hailing from Tilburg, Saltes was celebrated for its pioneering invention, a molten salt thermal battery. This technology promises to transform renewable energy storage by enabling sustainable heat storage at an industrial scale. The battery ingeniously utilizes excess solar and wind energy, storing it as thermal energy in molten salts, which can later be dispatched to factories precisely when needed [1][2].
Award Recognition and Financial Support
Saltes’ award entailed a total value of €100,000, of which €25,000 was provided in cash. The remaining €75,000 comprises a support package offered by the Entrance network, aimed at facilitating further development and scaling efforts. This backing underscores Saltes’ potential as a significant player in the energy transition, granting them the resources needed to build a 26 MWh ThermalPod, a unit that would equate to the battery capacity of approximately 500 electric vehicles [1][3].
Broader Impact and Future Prospects
Saltes’ innovation stands out due to its high energy density, cost efficiency, and scalability, positioning it as both a practical and groundbreaking solution for reducing reliance on natural gas. Jury chair Ruud Koornstra highlighted the importance of Saltes’ role, describing the innovation as a crucial link in industrial electrification, which combines molecular and electronic technology for enhanced efficacy. Collaborations with partners such as GasTerra and Shell amplify the innovation’s reach, contributing to carbon neutrality goals in the Netherlands [1][3][4].
Celebrating and Encouraging Green Innovation
The Entrance Professional Award, a key feature of the New Energy Forum, not only celebrates established players like Saltes but also encourages emerging talents. The ceremony also recognized Verdant Biogas, awarded second place for developing a compact biodigester for small farmers, and BrewRight, acknowledged for their CO₂ capture systems for small breweries. Such awards emphasize the significance of continuous innovation in addressing global environmental challenges and transition towards sustainable energy practices [2].