The 3,000-Year-Old Battery Replacing Industrial Gas | Cache Energy

The 3,000-Year-Old Battery Replacing Industrial Gas | Cache Energy

From Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups by Dr. Chris Wedding — Climate Tech CEO Coach | CEO @ EFI

May 26, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

Arpit Dwivedi discusses Cache Energy's innovative limestone battery technology for industrial heat storage and its impact on decarbonization.

This limestone battery can achieve 100+ hour heat storage without lithium and zero standby losses. Industrial heat is a $1T+ problem, but most solutions ignore storage, especially those using ancient chemistry. Arpit Dwivedi is the founder and CEO of Cache Energy , building thermal storage systems for industrial decarbonization. Cache uses calcium oxide chemistry to store and release heat, targeting sub-1,000°F processes that represent ~75% of global industrial demand , with modular systems designed for rapid deployment and low cost. Here’s what we discussed: Unit economics anchored in materials, not breakthroughs – Limestone feedstock at <$500/ton, 95% off-the-shelf hardware, and a small proprietary binder that enables pellet durability and repeat cycling without degradation typical of lime powders Operational performance that mimics baseload fuel – 100+ hour discharge with effectively zero standby losses over 6–9 months, allowing customers to arbitrage cheap off-peak electricity into constant, gas-like heat output Deployment speed as wedge – Containerized 2MW systems installed and operational within hours (e.g., University of Minnesota), eliminating long EPC timelines and…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Chris Wedding

Guest: Arpit Dwivedi

Topics covered

  • thermal storage
  • industrial decarbonization
  • calcium oxide chemistry
  • energy efficiency
  • sustainable technology

Keywords

  • limestone battery
  • heat storage
  • industrial heat
  • decarbonization
  • energy transition
  • natural gas reduction
  • modular systems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cache Energy, University of Minnesota, Fortune 500

Places: Midwest

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