In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett talks with Nehali Jain, Chief of Staff at Antora, a company on a mission to decarbonize heavy industry with thermal batteries. They explore how renewable electricity can be stored as heat in carbon blocks reaching 2,400°C—cheaper and more scalable than fossil fuels. Learn how this breakthrough tackles industrial emissions, supports grid reliability, and offers a practical path to gigaton-scale CO2 reduction through modular, cost-effective energy storage.
What you will learn:
- How thermal batteries can store renewable energy at temperatures up to 2,400°C
- Why industrial heat storage is an overlooked solution for decarbonizing heavy industries
- The economics of thermal energy storage vs. traditional fossil fuel
- How modular design principles enable rapid scaling and cost reduction
- Thermal battery deployment to achieve gigaton-scale carbon emissions reduction
- Why the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy storage is becoming increasingly market-driven rather than policy-dependent
Nehali Jain is the Chief of Staff at Antora Energy, where she leads fundraising and strategic growth initiatives. With a background in chemical engineering and experience at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she has shaped climate strategy across multiple ventures, including Form Energy, Burdox, and Prawn in carbon removal.
Her expertise in energy storage and industrial decarbonization, combined with her experience across climate tech startups and investment with Mission One Capital, offers a valuable perspective on scaling solutions to reduce industrial emissions, which comprise approximately 25% of global carbon emissions. Under her leadership, Antora is working toward a gigaton-scale carbon impact by deploying its modular thermal storage systems.
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