MGA Thermal, an Australian startup, has announced it has brought online its thermal energy storage system, which takes renewable energy as its input and produces industrial-grade steam as its output. The company calls this the “world’s first commercial Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) system” – this demonstration unit, built at the company’s Tomago site, is 500 kW / 5 MWh rated, able to supply 24 hours of superheated steam. Doubtless MGA Thermal can claim ‘world-first’ status in some senses, off the back of its ‘Miscibility Gap Alloy’ material which allows its installations to be very compact, as the thermal energy is stored by means of solid-liquid phase change, not sensible heat. The company also uses N2 as its heat transfer fluid,…