Antora Energy, a long-duration energy storage startup, has received a grant of over USD 4 million from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

This brings the company’s total funding to USD 55.5 million. Antora intends to use the funds to scale up its thermophotovoltaic technology, which is able to store renewable power as heat in blocks of solid carbon.

Analyst QuickTake: Antora’s last funding round was in February 2022 , when the company raised USD 50 million in a Series A funding round, which was invested toward commercializing the company’s batteries at large industrial sites. More recently, in September 2023 , Antora launched its first commercial-scale system at a facility in Fresno, California. The pilot project consists of the company’s thermal batteries, which are capable of storing electricity as heat inside carbon blocks at temperatures above 1,800ºC (3,272ºF). The company intends to begin shipping its battery systems to clients in 2025.