Energy Storage Technologies Beyond Batteries Ep37: Dr Nadine Moustafa, Dr Matthias Mersch & Dr Alexandra Welp

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Episode 37 • 28th August 2025 • Energy Futures Podcast • Energy Futures Lab

What alternative energy storage technologies are there to replace batteries, and can these technologies hold up to the growing demand for green energy?

Host

Dr. Nadine Moustafa, Research Associate at Imperial, specialising in carbon management and decarbonisation technologies.

Guests

Dr. Matthias Mersch - Research associate in the Clean Energy Processes Lab at Imperial College.
Dr Alexandra Welp – Mechanical Engineer, research assistant and PhD student at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She is currently a visiting researcher at Imperial college focusing on thermodynamic storage solution technologies.

Topics Discussed 

New Technologies that exist outside of batteries, and the efforts research and industry are making towards decarbonization.
Differences between Industrial and Domestic energy storage and the challenges each type of technology brings.
Developing trends in the energy storage field.

Timestamps & Chapters

[00:51] Host and guest introductions: Dr Nadine Mustafa, Alexandra Welp, and Matthias Mirch

[01:45] Domestic vs. industrial energy storage overview

[02:33] Pumped thermal energy storage and systems thinking

[04:33] Thermal and mechanical energy storage explained

[04:45] Pumped hydro and gravitational energy storage

[05:21] Chemical energy storage and district heating

[07:27] Systems thinking and thermal integration basics

[15:09] Residential and industrial applications of thermal storage

[16:51] High-temperature industrial heat challenges

[18:03] Sector-specific challenges and mechanical/chemical storage

[18:45] Deep dive into chemical energy storage