NEW TES PRODUCTS
Sunamp launches first product for commercial sector
Sunamp (Macmerry, Scotland) announced on March 25 the launch of Central Bank Mini, its first product for the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sectors, at the MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort event in Milan, Italy.
Central Bank Mini provides compact, high-efficiency thermal energy storage that enables businesses to recover waste heat, stabilize energy loads, reduce fuel consumption, and cut carbon emissions, the company said in a news release. Sunamp’s Plentigrade PCM absorbs heat during charging and releases it on demand during discharge.
Central Bank Mini offers three PCM options that cover charge temperatures from 50°C to 120°C and discharge temperatures from 33°C to 85°C. Direct and heat-exchanger-based charge and discharge configurations allow integration with almost any industrial system.
Maurizio Zaglio, the newly named chief commercial officer at Sunamp, said: 
“Industrial heat is one of the biggest decarbonisation challenges of our time. With Central Bank Mini, we are giving manufacturers a practical, high performance tool to recover waste heat, stabilize energy use and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. This product brings the reliability and efficiency Sunamp is known for into the heart of industrial operations, helping engineering teams deliver measurable savings and long term resilience.”
A demonstration at the IHI Corp. (Kitakyushu City, Japan) used the Central Bank Mini P58A to capture surplus boiler heat from a soap plant and deliver it to a Hirota Chemical factory via a 70-meter underground pipe. The system stored up to 80 kWh of heat with minimal losses and supplied stable, controllable heat on demand. The pilot project resulted in a 30% reduction in system costs and CO₂ payback in less than one year.
ScaleHeat promises compact, scalable heat storage
Cowa Thermal Solutions AG (Root, Switzerland) and Cartesian (Trondheim, Norway) have joined forces to develop ScaleHeat, a scalable PCM heat storage system for district heating networks.
ScaleHeat combines Cowa’s salt hydrate PCM (>100 kWh/m³, >10,000 cycles, 20+ years lifetime), Cartesian’s Thermal Box, and advanced control strategies to provide compact, rapidly deployable thermal storage fit for district heating, multi-family housing, and industrial applications.
The project is the result of a chance meeting of Cartesian founders Alexis Sevault and Håkon Selvnes with Cowa’s Philipp Roos and co-founder Remo Waser at the TES Symposium in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2023.
An idea quickly gained traction: combine Cowa’s expertise in PCM development with Cartesian’s capabilities in heat exchanger design and system integration for medium- to large-scale HVAC systems. The collaboration was formalized through a joint Eurostars proposal, Project ScaleHeat, in 2025.
“This collaboration combines complementary strengths to unlock a new class of thermal energy storage,” said Waser, Cowa CTO. “By integrating our high-density PCM technology into Cartesian’s system platform, we enable compact, scalable solutions that make high-capacity storage viable in space-constrained commercial applications.”
The first pilot module will be installed in a Swiss commercial building this summer. It integrates Cowa’s PCM48 into Cartesian’s Thermal Box, delivering up to 125 kWh of storage within a footprint of just one square meter. Capacity can be scaled for commercial applications by seamlessly combining multiple modules, Cartesian CTO Sevault said.
“This marks an important step for Cartesian. By integrating Cowa’s dense, salt-based PCM into our product line, we’re significantly expanding performance and improving compactness, while enabling very attractive payback times for customers,” Sevault said.
The joint product will be launched once it has been fully tested and validated in real-world applications. Validation will be conducted by Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts HSLU (Lucerne, Switzerland). Target customers include commercial buildings such as offices, schools, and logistics centers. The companies said their long-term goal is to turn ScaleHeat into a high-volume solution for distributed thermal energy storage in district heating and cooling networks.
IN BRIEF
• Pluss Advanced Technologies (Gurugram, India) is partnering with SPARK Campus (Hertogenbosch, Netherlands) to fast‑track practical proof‑of‑concepts for PCM applications in buildings, logistics and healthcare. The partnership provides Pluss with access to SPARK’s lab facilities, including 3D‑printing and prototyping resources. Joris de Luij, Pluss Chief Commercial Officer PCM, said the company also hopes to develop new partnerships: “PCMs are not yet very well known in the construction industry. Through SPARK, we hope to reach a larger network. We are also looking for partners who want to develop new applications together with us. Studies have shown that many PCMs work, but practical experience is still lacking. We hope to create proof of concept with SPARK partners, so that we can take these examples to market.” Those interested in becoming a member or partner of SPARK should contact Cassandra Vugts at info@sparkcampus.nl.
• MGA Thermal (Tomago, Australia) has secured $11.9 million in a new funding round led by venture capital firm IP Group Australia to support a full commercial rollout of its thermal energy storage (TES). “We are entering a period of rapid scale‑up, expanding our commercial capability, growing manufacturing, and delivering projects that help industry decarbonise at speed,” MGA’s CEO Mark Croudace said. MGA’s TES solution is centered around the phase change of its patented miscibility gap alloy (MGA) block technology. The company claims that its storage blocks delivers 200% more energy than conventional heat storage systems, with a footprint that can be 24 times smaller than batteries.
• On March 26, Cowa Thermal Solutions AG (Root, Switzerland) announced its partnership with INNOVA S.r.l. (Storo, Italy) to develop compact and sustainable PCM-integrated heat pumps. The partnership builds on a collaboration that combined Cowa’s PCM with INNOVA’s heat pump systems. The indoor climate solution is particularly well suited for urban environments because it can be easily retrofitted in space-constrained buildings with older heating systems such as gas boilers.
• Ritter Energie GmbH’s (Dettenhausen, Germany) SP Aqua HEX+ buffer storage tank has received the Plus X Award in five categories: Innovation, High Quality, Ease of Use, Functionality, and Ecology. The independent international jury of experts from 80 industries said it was impressed by the thermal storage tank’s “innovative storage technology, high-quality construction, and clear focus on ecological efficiency.” It also noted that the use of solar energy is optimized through low-loss heat storage, thanks to vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) from va-Q-tec (Würzburg, Germany), with energy efficiency class A+. The insulated storage tank records a heat loss of only 46.1 watts, almost 10% below the legal threshold for the highest energy efficiency class, A+. The removable va-Q-shell also allows the 750-liter storage tank to pass through standard doors.
• Claudio Zilio and Giulia Righetti from the University of Padova (UNIPD) (Padua , Italy) presented results from WP1 of the LIFE ITS4ZEB project at the 11th International Conference on Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Paris, France, in mid-April. Results showed that the hydrated salt PCM outperforms the organic PCM in energy storage capacity, reaching approximately 12 kWh compared with 7 kWh. The inorganic PCM also exhibited a more homogeneous temperature distribution, confirming its strong potential for large-scale LTES applications.
• Cowa Thermal Solutions AG’s (Root, Switzerland) COMPACT Cube 48 won the MCE Excellence Awards 2026 at MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort in Milan, Italy. The award recognizes innovative and energy-efficient solutions that support the global energy transition in line with the U.N. 2030 Agenda and the European Green Deal.
• Blackstone and Advanced Cooling Technologies announced that funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners are committed to acquire a majority stake in Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT), (Lancaster, Pennsylvania). ACT provides thermal management and energy efficiency solutions, including two-phase liquid-cooling solutions, heat pipes, phase-change materials, cold plates, environmental control units, and composite thermal and structural systems. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.
• Alexium International (Greer, South Carolina) claims that its phase change material technology has the highest-capacity formulated PCM currently available on the market after independent testing verified that BioCool achieved latent heat of fusion exceeding 200 Joules per gram. BioCool also was engineered to return to its cooling state and be ready for the next heat cycle sooner, which is considered highly desirable for bedding.
• 1Click Heating & Cooling (Toronto, Canada) has officially rebranded as 1Click Energy Solutions, marking its evolution from HVAC to emerging electrification solutions such as electric vehicle (EV) charging, smart panels, load management, and phase-change material (PCM) technology.
JOBS
• Pascal (Cambridge, Massachusetts) has an opening for a thermal equipment design engineer to “ join a small team in a young startup and take on whatever roles are needed to advance the technology along its maturation path. The primary focus of this role will be the design, analysis, and testing of our integrated heat pump system as well as major subassemblies including advanced compressors, variable speed drives and novel heat exchanger/reactors.” Apply on LinkedIn.
• Nanolope GmbH (Berlin, Germany) has an opening for a chemical engineer/process engineer — chemical plant construction. Nanolope develops phase-change materials that turn building surfaces into thermal energy storage systems. The role requires planning, construction, and commissioning of a chemical pilot plant; close cooperation with a team of R&D chemists; coordinating with external service providers in plant construction; and further development of the plant. Send application materials to bewerbung@nanolope.de.
• DTU Construct (Nils Koppels Allè, Denmark) has a three-year Ph.D. position available in energy storage. DTU Construct seeks “a talented, self-motivated, and collaborative researcher to develop physics-informed AI methods and transform decision-making in the design and operation of next-generation thermal energy storage systems, including latent heat TES and thermochemical TES.” Click here for more information or to apply.
• Cowa Thermal Solutions AG (central Switzerland) is hiring a thermal energy storage intern. The energy storage company is looking for a chemistry/chemical engineering/materials science student or recent graduate who is “excited about energy storage materials and wants a hands-on internship in a startup.” Contact Ilia Kochetygov for more information or to apply.
PATENTS
System and method for phase change material analysis
U.S. patent application 20260049929 (applicant Sunamp Ltd., East Lothian, Scotland):
“The present invention discloses a system, apparatus and method for analysing the contents of a phase change material. More specifically, the present invention discloses an apparatus for analysing the compositions of PCMs, as well as blends of anhydrous salts and blends of organic PCMs by their refractive indices.”
Thermal barrier for ventilated roofs
U.S. patent application 20260055908 (applicant University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy):
“A system and a method are described for the passive conditioning of internal environments having ventilated roofs as coverings; the method involves absorbing at least part of the heat coming from the external environment during the hottest hours of the day, so as to reduce the heat entering the environment to be conditioned and transferring the absorbed heat back to the external environment during the night, the absorption being implemented through Phase Change Materials, PCM, in which the heat exchange between PCMs and the external environment is favored by an air current that is generated spontaneously due to the effect of natural thermal gradients.”
More U.S. patent applications:
Latent heat storage body microcapsule and method for producing same (National University Corporation Hokkaido University, Sapporo-shi, Japan.) | Dual action heat management treatment formulations for textiles (HeiQ Materials AG, Schlieren, Switzerland.) | Portable regulated temperature container with certain phase change materials (Sheetak, Inc., Austin, Texas.) | Carnot battery and energy storage system (Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc., Hokkaido, Japan.) | Systems and methods for heat energy management (Thermoverse, LLC, Detroit, Michigan.) | Heat exchanger assemblies for phase change material (Honeywell International, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina.) | Solar power generation system (Holtec International, Camden, New Jersey.)
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
From Renewable Energy:
• Preparation and architectural applications of composite phase change materials from waste biomass
• Enhancing passive cooling of solar photovoltaic panels using self-encapsulated phase change materials
• Development, characterization, and charging performance of a novel nano-enhanced phase change material with lauric acid and fatty ester
From Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews:
• Advanced wet-spun phase change fibers for smart thermal management: Material innovations, structural optimization, and multi-scenario applications
• Biomimetic composite phase change materials: From structural design to functional integration
From International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer:
• Experimental analysis of the dynamic performance of a phase change material-thermoelectric generator system
• Portable heating system with multiple energy sources based on phase change thermal storage in harsh environments
• Numerical and experimental investigation of thermal performance of a PCM-integrated double-pass solar air heater with artificial roughness for sustainable energy storage
From Solar Energy:
From Thermal Science and Engineering Progress:
From Emergent Materials:
From Journal of Energy Storage:
• 3D printed composite phase change materials: Structural innovation, performance enhancement, and application adaptation
• Numerical study on pre-cooling a refrigerated truck with phase change materials
• Experimental evaluation of an innovative horizontal solar air heater incorporating thermal energy storage using paraffin wax, graphite, and internal reflector enhancements
• Thermal characteristics enhancement of MgCl2 phase change material (PCM) for cold thermal energy storage
From Energy:
• Dual-functional waste-derived geopolymer scaffold for low-supercooling shape-stabilised phase change materials in energy-efficient building envelopes
• A cost-effective dual-mode PCM with a sandwich structure for year-round building energy conservation
From Composites Part B: Engineering:
• A cactus-bioinspired bamboo-based composite phase change material with enhanced photothermal energy storage and superhydrophobic properties
• Interface electronic-structure engineered TiN/C aerogel composites for latent heat enhancement in water-based phase change materials toward efficient cold energy storage
From Materials Today Chemistry:
• UV-curable flexible thermochromic phase change materials
From International Journal of Thermal Sciences:
From Energies:
From Next Energy:
From Case Studies in Thermal Engineering:
From Journal of Cleaner Production:
From Chemical Engineering Journal:
NETWORKING
Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn
More than 1,800 people have joined a LinkedIn group devoted to the discussion of phase change material and thermal energy storage. You are invited to join the Phase Change Matters group and connect with PCM and TES experts from around the world.
This month we welcome Davide Tommasini, junior researcher at SINTEF Energy Research, Trondheim, Norway; Rob Drijer, online and visual marketing strategist at Orange Climate, Rijssen, Netherlands; Kiran Paul Nalli, production contractor at Kautex Trextron, Waldkirch, Germany; Michele L’Occaso, patent engineer at PRAXI, Torino, Italy; Ilia Kochetygov, research and development engineer at Cowa Thermal Solutions AG, Lucerne, Switzerland; William Lopshire, CEO of Alltemp, Inc., Los Angeles, California; and Jessie Cao, principal consultant at High Strategy Human Resources Management Consuliting Co., Ltd., Chengdu, China.
NEWS TIPS
Does your company, agency or university have a job opening, new research, new product or other news you’d like to share? I would love to hear from you. Please contact newsletter editor Amy Phillips at phasechangematters@gmail.com.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
This newsletter is made possible through the generous support of the RAL Quality Association PCM and the members listed below. To learn more about the association, including membership benefits, please contact Stefan Thomann, executive director, at pcm@kellencompany.com.
Axiotherm GmbH | Croda Europe, Ltd. | Hangzhou Ruhr New Material Technology Co., Ltd. (RuhrTech) | ISU Chemical Co. Ltd. | Ningbo Passive Edge Material Co., Ltd. | PCM Technology |PLUSS Advanced Technologies, Ltd. | Rubitherm Technologies GmbH | Sasol Germany GmbH | Sunamp, Ltd. | Associate member: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU)