Alternō's Sand Battery Enters Japan: Decarbonizing Industrial Heat and Supplying Clean Heat for Greenhouse Farming
TSUKUBA, Japan, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternō, an Asia-based climate-tech company pioneering sand-based thermal battery systems, announced today the establishment of Alternō Japan GK in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. This marks a major milestone in the company's mission to decarbonize industrial heat — a sector responsible for over 30% of global CO₂ emissions — through affordable, zero-emission thermal energy storage.
Supported by the Ibaraki Prefecture Startup Visa Program and Leave a Nest, the new entity will serve as Alternō's regional hub for product localization, R&D, and pilot-scale manufacturing. The initiative is being developed in collaboration with Kikuchi Seiki Co., Ltd., and Yamazaki Industry Co., Ltd., with additional coordination from JETRO and Tsukuba City.
"Japan represents a key step in Alternō's journey to build a global network of clean heat solutions," said Hai Ho, Co-Founder & CEO of Alternō. "Through our partnerships in Ibaraki — one of Japan's most innovation-driven and agriculture-focused regions — we're creating a pathway to decarbonize industries that have long depended on fossil fuels. Our goal is simple: make clean heat accessible, reliable, and affordable for every factory."
Powering Japan's Industrial Heat Transition
Alternō's patented Sand Battery stores renewable electricity as high-temperature heat (up to 600°C) using abundant, recyclable sand as the storage medium. The system enables factories to transition from fossil fuels to renewable heat without compromising performance or safety. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, Alternō's system is non-toxic, fireproof, and made from locally sourced materials, ensuring both environmental and economic sustainability.
In Japan, Alternō will focus on delivering solutions for agriculture, such as low-carbon heat for greenhouses and food drying, as well as light manufacturing, including textile and material drying processes.
The company is also developing Alternō E, a next-generation sand-based electricity storage system for data centers and critical infrastructure, designed to replace lithium batteries while ensuring safe, stable and clean backup power.
Two Product Lines for the Japanese Market
Alternō Japan will introduce two key product systems:
- Alternō Hybrid — a modular thermal battery that combines electric and biomass heating for continuous renewable heat supply in rural agro-processing. The system enables farmers to convert organic waste into energy, reducing both costs and emissions.
- Alternō Mini — a compact thermal battery designed for small-scale facilities, research institutes, and demonstration projects. The system is being developed in partnership with Yamazaki Industry Co., Ltd., under technical coordination from Kikuchi Seiki Co., Ltd.
Alternō will publicly debut Alternō Mini at Tokyo ENEX 2026, one of Japan's leading energy exhibitions, featuring live demonstrations for both Japanese and international audiences.
Building Japan's Clean Heat Manufacturing Ecosystem
Alternō's Japan operations bring together a network of engineering and manufacturing partners — including Kikuchi Seiki for coordination and precision engineering, and Yamazaki Industry for prototype fabrication. This collaboration aims to accelerate product certification, reduce manufacturing costs through localization, and align Alternō's Sand Battery systems with Japanese industrial standards.
"We're deeply grateful for the trust and collaboration from Japan's manufacturing ecosystem," Hai added. "Working with Kikuchi, Yamazaki, and our partners in Tsukuba allows us to merge deep-tech innovation with Japan's world-class engineering excellence."
Investor and Ecosystem Support
Alternō's expansion into Japan is supported by leading ecosystem partners and investors, including ADB Ventures, UntroD Capital, JETRO, JICA, Leave a Nest, P4G, and NTT East.
"We strongly believe in the power of technology transfer, and Alternō's expansion into Japan demonstrates how Asian innovation can transcend borders to help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. Alternō's expansion into Japan marks an important milestone, and we're proud to support their growth," said Pang Sittakaradej of ADB Ventures.
"Japan is a critical market for scaling clean energy technologies," said Daiki Kumamoto, Director at UntroD Capital Asia.
"Alternō's sand battery directly addresses one of the toughest challenges in industrial and agricultural decarbonization—reliable, high-temperature heat. We are proud to back their next phase of global growth."
Recognized as Deep Tech Venture of the Year 2025, Alternō continues to lead Asia's transition toward sustainable industrial energy through scalable, sand-based heat and power storage solutions.
About UntroD Capital Asia
UntroD Capital Asia is a leading deep-tech VC firm dedicated to fostering impactful technologies that drive sustainable growth. As the manager of the Real Tech Global Fund, UntroD Capital Asia partners with innovative startups and businesses addressing global challenges in sectors such as energy transition, sustainable agri-food, and industrial manufacturing. UntroD's hands-on approach and industry network provide portfolio companies with the resources and expertise needed to scale their operations and achieve lasting impact.
About ADB Ventures
ADB Ventures is the venture capital investment arm of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), supporting early-stage technology startups with the potential to scale and deliver climate and development impact in Asia and the Pacific. Through dedicated funds, ADB Ventures invests at the seed and early stages with a focus on cleantech, fintech, and sustainable agriculture. Leveraging ADB's regional networks and expertise, ADB Ventures addresses critical financing gaps, catalyzes capital into impact technology sectors, and accelerates the deployment of transformative solutions across developing Asia.
About Alternō
Alternō, an Asia-based climate-tech startup, is pioneering sand-based thermal battery systems that deliver high-temperature, zero-emission heat for industrial and agricultural applications. Founded in 2023, the company is expanding its presence to Japan to accelerate clean heat adoption and local manufacturing. Alternō aims to drive the energy transition in hard-to-abate sectors across Asia and beyond, with a long-term goal of reducing 100 million tons of CO₂ emissions annually by 2030.
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