Industrial systems provider GEA has invested an initial £10m (€12m) in Hampshire-based low carbon heat company, Caldera.
The German company’s investment is intended to boost efforts to help industry decarbonise. GEA plans to use Caldera’s technology as part of a holistic solution that allows industrial customers an affordable route to electrifying their heat.
Caldera has developed what is said to e a unique storage boiler that takes low-cost renewable electricity and stores it as heat, ready to be used whenever required.
The company claims it is ideally suited to industries that currently use gas boilers to generate steam – including breweries, distilleries, food manufacturers and pharmaceuticals. These are all sectors GEA serves as a systems equipment supplier.
Kai Becker, chief executive of GEA’s heating and refrigeration technologies division, said: “The market for industrial heat is changing fast. Decarbonisation isn’t a distant goal – it’s happening now.
“Across industry, we’re seeing major benefits in electrification and thermal storage, and at GEA, we’re moving decisively to lead this transition.
“Industrial heat demand – especially for steam up to 200C – is one of the toughest areas to decarbonise. Caldera’s Storage Boiler is a game-changer and can be combined with heat pumps to radically alter the business case for going green.
“With GEA’s global reach and expertise in industrial heating, we can accelerate the deployment of this solution to industries worldwide. That’s why we’re investing in Caldera.”
In the UK, around a fifth of all industrial energy demand is for heat up to 200C – usually delivered as steam – and the majority of this heat is generated by gas.
Green electricity is affordable, but intermittent. By charging whenever the sun shines, Caldera’s boilers use cheap on-site solar power as well as green energy from the grid and store it as heat until it’s needed – allowing industry to benefit from affordable green heat 24/7.
In many cases, Caldera’s storage boilers can be combined with GEA’s heat pumps to offer what is said to be a “compelling route” to decarbonising industrial process heat: A combined system joins the benefits of a highly efficient heat pump with the flexibility and fast response time of a storage boiler.
The two companies claim these complementary technologies ‘radically alter’ the business case for going green – by making heat from low-carbon electricity cost competitive with fossil fuels.
Caldera is currently showcasing their technology at their factory near Southampton and will be rolling out storage boilers to commercial customers later in 2025.
James Macnaghten. Caldera’s chief executive, said: “The investment from GEA is a game-changing opportunity for our company and a strong endorsement of our technology. In addition there is a very strong cultural fit between both companies driven by sustainability and engineering excellence.
“We look forward to seeing electric storage boilers become a widely adopted technology in industries from brewing and distilling to food and pharma, with the ultimate goal of reducing carbon emissions for the benefit of all.”
Main image: James Macnaghten, chief executive of Caldera (left), and Kai Becker, chief executive of GEA’s heating and refrigeration technologies division
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