Siemens is supporting innovative start-ups with a free annual subscription to Solid Edge, a complete hybrid 2D/3D CAD system. One such start-up is Kraftblock. The fledgling enterprise, started by founders Dr. Martin Schichtel and Susanne König, is dedicated to the development of modern energy storage technology.

As the usage of renewable energy continues to grow, there is an ongoing issue to be addressed: storing the created energy. After an intensive research phase, the Kraftblock team led by the head engineer Dr. Martin Schichtel and economist Susanne König, developed a solution for this.

Imagine capturing the massive excess energy created by manufacturing plants, solar panels, wind turbines and storing it in a storage based sustainable energy system. These energy examples make Kraftblock’s solution both innovative and sustainable.

The core of the storage system is made of unique pellets, which can absorb heat of extreme temperatures, up to 1300°C. Thus, one unit can cover the yearly heat consumption of two single-family homes. What makes this solution more attractive is that the pellets are made of recycled material and the units are easily transportable.

Kraftblock is one of the start-ups that used to be supported by Siemens through the Solid Edge Startup Program. Being part of the program, start-ups have access to an annual Solid Edge Premium license, which was used for developing the Kraftblock storage units. Schichtel describes the experience with Solid Edge as “easy to use with a clear user guide” and he specifies that the simulation functionalities of the software were very useful for early prototyping. They also received consultation on the usage of the software by a Siemens partner, PBU CAD-Systeme GmbH, which jumpstarted their journey, even though there were no design engineers on the team at the beginning.

Now being a six-year-old company with several awards, Kraftblock does not only offer heat-storage units, but also consultation for capturing and storing excess energy, generated by different processes.

Related resources:
Blog: Read the interview that Kraftblock founder Dr. Martin Schichtel gave to Startup Hacks as part of a #solidedge4startups podcast series!