Integrated Thermophotovoltaic Zero Emissions Generator Demonstrator

A thermal battery the size of a shipping container will replace diesel and gas generators at a Nigerian university, turning stored heat back into electricity with zero emissions at the point of use. This matters because across Africa and other regions with unreliable grids, hospitals, businesses, and universities rely on diesel generators that are expensive to run and produce local air pollution and carbon emissions. Existing battery storage is often too costly for long-duration backup. Thermal batteries store energy as heat in cheap materials—such as molten salt or carbon blocks—and convert it back to electricity using thermophotovoltaic cells, which work like solar panels but tuned to infrared wavelengths. The project will build and test a full-scale demonstrator at Pan Atlantic University in Lagos, charging the battery from the grid or from dedicated solar panels. If successful, the system could displace fossil-fuel generators in settings where clean, on-demand power is needed for hours at a time. The technology is not a replacement for lithium-ion batteries in cars or phones, but it could quietly change how factories, data centres, and off-grid communities keep the lights on without burning fuel.