6 MIN READ

The Scandic Engineer leading the charge for Thermal Storage Adoption

BY KYOTO GROUP, 29. JAN 2025

The Scandic Engineer leading the charge for Thermal Storage Adoption
13:19


Meet Morten Bülow, the Dane set to drive Heatcube to its next breakthrough in industrial energy storage.

On a cold November day in 1963, the Norwegian Foreign Minister met his Danish counterpart to discuss naval borders. Legend has it the Norwegians had a plan—a cup of coffee and a bottle of whisky tucked away to steer the conversation. By the end of the night, Norway had secured rights to what would become an oil goldmine, leaving Denmark with little more than crumbs.

But Denmark’s loss turned into its greatest strength. With no oil to rely on, the country was forced to innovate, eventually becoming a global leader in wind energy—a pivotal moment that reshaped its future.

Also, it meant a young Danish marine engineer would soon find himself managing wind turbines … in Ireland.

 

From wind to the next big renewable innovation

You might say the whisky bottle story is emblematic of how unexpected twists can shape the future. It mirrors the journey of Morten Bülow—Kyoto Group’s new CEO. Right now, he’s taking on a challenge with similar stakes: He’s leading a company poised to revolutionize industrial process heat with its thermal batteries.

Yes, revolutionize. For Morten Bülow, even that word feels like an understatement. 

- At heart, I’m an engineer, you know. Solving the riddle of the energy transition is the most important thing. I don't like to speak just to speak. I like to convey a message. And that message is that we’re at a tipping point where industries can no longer afford to wait. I guess you could say my job with Kyoto Group is to make decarbonization practical, not just idealistic.

Originally a marine engineer, Morten reflects with a sense of astonishment on how far the wind energy sector has come from its early days when he describes it as ‘very much immature’. When he joined wind energy in Denmark back in the ‘90s, he came from a world where the pressure was immense—and the solutions needed to be immediate.

– On ships, there’s nobody else to call if things stop working. As a marine engineer, it’s your job to keep things running. Maintain things. Keep it operating. Either you fix it, or it stays broken. 

This ‘all-hands-on-deck’ mentality shaped his approach to solving problems and managing complexity—skills he carried with him. He soon found himself as a technician installing wind turbines in Ireland—supposed to stay for a couple of months, only to find himself staying for two and a half years. He was at the forefront of an industry that few took seriously at the time. Especially true for grid operators used to working with big power plants.

- I still remember sitting down with grid operators, he says - We were young and naive, and one of us asked: ‘How about the wind turbines, how do you incorporate them into the grid?’ The operator just looked at us and said: “Yeah, well, you know, we just have the turbines cut out whenever there’s a grid disturbance and then they can come online again whenever we’re done stabilizing the grid. They’re never going to play a significant role’. 

Morten Bülow laughs and then reflects on how far the industry has come. How professionalized it has become. And how big, both economically and in a more literal sense: The wind turbines we have today are 25 times bigger than their predecessors.

- Just seeing the evolution of how it has matured, you know. How costs have been driven down and reliability has gone up. Today, those very wind turbines are indispensable to global energy systems.

 

How wind energy’s early stumbles are guiding the next innovation

But it wasn’t an easy journey. Morten describes how early wind power pioneers learned through trial and error. There were a lot of things they just weren't aware of, because of the simple fact that no one had gone where they were trying to go. 

- Nobody knew what they didn’t know. For instance, placing turbines on Australian hilltops revealed unexpected wind accelerations that caused wear far faster than we anticipated—it was like hitting a bumpy patch on an otherwise smooth road.

That’s to say: When an industry matures, it means that a lot of hiccups and costly mistakes have been made, over and over, until you’ve learned your lesson. Optimization is key. 

- It wasn’t just about building turbines—it was about making them better, more reliable, and scalable. That’s where the industry matured, 

For Morten, the parallels between wind energy then and thermal storage now, are clear. And it’s precisely the scaling exercise he learned in wind he’s taking with him in his new role as CEO of Kyoto Group.

- Thermal storage today is where wind power was years ago—full of potential but awaiting its big leap forward. While the tech is proven, it’s still maturing. We have the tools, knowledge, and experience to turn potential into actual progress. Industries face mounting energy costs and rising ESG demands, and solutions like Heatcube are designed to meet those challenges head-on.

- It’s no longer just about proving the concept, Morten emphasizes. - Our thermal batteries work. Now it’s about turning them into a product industries trust.

raptors

Image: SpaceX’s Raptor engine evolution

From prototype to industry standard: Lessons from space

- The first version of SpaceX’s Raptor engine was an engineering marvel, says Morten.

At this point, he stands up from his chair. 

- I just have to show you a couple of slides, he says. - What I’m about to explain just makes more sense if you can see it.

The first slide reveals the original Raptor engine: it looks like something straight out of the original Star Wars movie; like an upside-down funnel, wrapped in what can only be described as a tangled mess of spaghetti-like pipes. The next slide shows version two of the engine. It’s still a funnel, but the spaghetti is significantly reduced. Then comes the final slide: the latest version of the Raptor engine. It’s so sleek and streamlined that it looks like someone forgot the wires entirely.

- The first engine got them into space, but that was just the beginning, Morten says.

- And they could have stopped there, he continues, pointing at the intricate tangle that looks like a homegrown spaghetti monster. - But by going back to the drawing board, they made the engine simpler, more reliable, and far cheaper to produce. 

For Kyoto Group, the goal with Heatcube is much the same: to transform it from a fully functional prototype into a product that will be adopted at scale.

Norbis & KALL

Image: The transformation of Heatcube from pilot to commercialization

- Right now, it takes us nearly a year to install a Heatcube, he says. - We’re working to bring that down to just a few months. But to do that, we need to simplify and standardize the design so we can produce and install it faster and more cost-effectively.

This shift isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about creating real value for customers. 

- You can never make a competitive product if you’re building one-offs every time, Morten says. - By using standard components and working with suppliers who already have deep expertise in pumps, valves, and heating systems, we can create a Heatcube that is both reliable and affordable. 

And at this point, he draws on his experience both as a marine engineer facing urgent problems that demand immediate solutions, and from his years spent with wind turbines that steadily became better, bigger, and more reliable. 

- O&M, he says. 

- O&M?

- Operations and maintenance. And it’s got to be considered right from the design phase. When you build something, you need to know what it will cost to operate and maintain over its lifetime. Over the next 15, 20, 25 years. If we get it right, Heatcube becomes not just a solution but a business tool that delivers real value to the industry, Morten says, before adding: 

- And with that, it has the potential to define thermal storage as an industry standard.

The demand is not equal

to the production anymore.

Thermal storage is the missing piece in the energy puzzle

- Storage makes renewable energy behave nicely on the grid, Morten says.

It ensures energy can be integrated without causing instability—a growing challenge as renewables become a larger share of the energy mix. In the early days, this wasn’t an issue. Renewables made up such a small percentage of energy production that fossil fuel plants could easily adjust output to balance supply and demand.

But today this approach no longer works, Morten says.

- There are so many intermittent resources on the grid these days that we start seeing fluctuations in production, and in the electricity prices. In simple terms, the demand is not equal to the production anymore. 

And that’s why we're hearing more and more about storage. 

- Storage of energy hasn’t really been needed before now, Morten says, emphasizing that storage, now essential for renewable energy reliability, is driven by economics as well as regulations. - For a CFO the good reason for getting a thermal battery is controlling energy costs. Quite frankly, if we look at the renewable industry, it hasn’t been rules and regulations that have been driving progress. It has been economics. There has to be a good business case.

As for ESG concerns, Morten says the argument is simple: 

- It’s really: “Here’s how you can secure your carbon footprint and reduce emissions for the long term.” Period.

 

The hidden carbon footprint of heat

Industries like food and beverage processing and manufacturing are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. 

According to the World Economic Forum, heat accounts for half of the world’s total energy consumption—far exceeding electricity and transportation. Heat accounts for over 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, making it the largest contributor to climate change. In other words: That donut you’re so fond of has a pretty nasty carbon footprint. You just don’t see it. 

- The evidence is overwhelming, says Morten about the global need to decarbonize. -  It’s like asking: Is the earth flat? 

For Kyoto Group's new CEO, the urgency to act is not just about the company’s success but about the planet’s future. Every year we wait to act, the costs of inaction grow—economically and environmentally. Delaying decarbonization doesn’t just risk financial penalties—it risks falling behind competitors who are already leveraging renewable solutions to future-proof their operations. Morten says he believes regulations, taxes and rules will probably also be a driver, forcing industries to change their ways. 

- But it’s difficult. People want to do the right thing. I think there’s a slow and steady movement in the right direction. But convenience often wins, he says, before adding: 

- It’s our job to make decarbonization not just the right choice, but the easy choice. We’ve learned to walk. Now we’re figuring out how to run.

"It’s our job to make decarbonization

not just the right choice,

but the easy choice."

Quick take: 6 key takeaways for Kyoto’s community

  1. New leadership to scale and industrialize. Morten Bülow, with 20 years of international leadership experience in renewable energy, has joined Kyoto Group as CEO. His expertise in building markets and scaling solutions will be instrumental in industrializing Kyoto’s Heatcube technology and advancing the mission to decarbonize industrial heat.

  2. Thermal storage is a key market opportunity. Thermal storage is at the same stage as wind power was 30 years ago—green but full of potential. Kyoto Group is positioned to industrialize and scale its Heatcube to meet growing market demand.

  3. Economic and environmental relevance. Heat accounts for 50% of global energy consumption and over 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions, making decarbonizing industrial heat a significant and urgent opportunity for both financial and environmental impact.

  4. Advancing to the next generation of Heatcube. Kyoto Group is focused on developing the next iteration of Heatcube, reducing installation times from nearly a year to just months. This evolution is crucial for scaling adoption and positioning our thermal storage solutions as competitive, efficient, and widely trusted.

  5. Proven strategies from wind energy. With decades of experience in scaling renewable solutions like wind turbines, Kyoto’s new CEO, Morten Bülow, is bringing proven strategies—optimization, standardization, and industrialization—to drive the advancement of thermal storage.

  6. A clear business case for adoption. Kyoto’s Heatcube cuts costs, stabilizes energy prices, and aligns with ESG goals. Through its heat-as-a-service model, Kyoto removes the technology and financial risk for customers, making adoption seamless and cost-effective while ensuring a sustainable business model.

Ready to take the next step in industrial decarbonization?

Thermal storage isn’t just a solution—it’s how industries future-proof operations while cutting costs and emissions. At the same time.

Kyoto Group’s Heatcube technology and heat-as-a-service model make decarbonizing your industrial processes practical, cost-effective, and seamless. Take the next step toward reduced emissions and stabilized energy costs. Kyoto Group is here to help.

 

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