Antora Deploys 200 ‘Toaster Ovens’ for Wind Storage

Why this is here: Antora’s carbon block system is designed to operate at temperatures ranging from 1,900 to 2,400 °C, significantly higher than previous thermophotovoltaic cell designs that plateaued below 1,300 °C.

Antora Energy is installing over 200 carbon blocks in South Dakota to store roughly 5 gigawatt-hours of wind energy. The California-based startup partnered with biofuel firm POET to reduce natural gas consumption at its ethanol plant in North Dakota. Antora’s system captures excess wind power during off-peak times and converts it into heat or electricity using thermophotovoltaic cells—similar to how a toaster oven works.

These thermophotovoltaic cells, initially invented in the 1960s, struggled with efficiency and cost until recently. Antora reports achieving 40% conversion efficiency, operating at temperatures between 1,900 and 2,400 °C. The company received funding from the US Department of Energy and built a pilot manufacturing facility in California.

The South Dakota project was completed in under a year and is already delivering partial power to the POET facility. While the system addresses wind power curtailment—wasted energy due to low demand—further development is needed to optimize manufacturing and potentially exceed 50% efficiency in TPV cells.