Clean Energy’s Hidden Enemy: Why Staying Cool Is the Next Big Challenge
No matter how much energy we can generate or store, it can’t deliver its full value if thermal management isn’t addressed.
In clean energy, big headlines go to generation and storage breakthroughs—advanced photovoltaics, onshore and offshore wind, small modular reactors, hydrogen systems, and high-density batteries. But behind every kilowatt lies a quiet factor that can make or break performance: heat.
Push the limits of power density without a thermal plan, and you’ll face shortened lifespans, costly downtime, and compromised reliability. Traditional cooling approaches can’t keep pace with the demands of next-generation systems. That’s why we’ve been tackling thermal management head-on for over two decades, backed by more than $20 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and ARPA-E funding in just the past five years. These projects have delivered advanced passive and active cooling solutions now in use across wind, nuclear, power electronics, power conversion, and energy storage applications.
“Thermal isn’t just a technical constraint—it’s the design lever that unlocks scalability, longevity, and smarter clean energy systems.” –Jens Weyant, Vice President of Product and Technology at ACT.
Where Thermal Management in Clean Energy Systems Matters Most
Different clean energy sectors face unique thermal risks, but the underlying challenge is the same: excess heat undermines performance and longevity.
Wind Energy
In nacelles and converters, every °C above spec accelerates bearing wear, stresses converters, and degrades control systems. Offshore, repairs are especially costly. Our passive loop thermosyphons move large heat loads without pumps or fans—reducing failure points and downtime. This approach, recently highlighted in Wind Systems for its impact on turbine uptime, means more reliable performance, lower maintenance costs, and extended turbine lifecycles.
Nuclear Systems
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and microreactors run with tight thermal margins. Even small temperature deviations can escalate. Our high temperature heat pipes provide passive, redundant cooling to maintain stability and safety in extreme environments. This ensures safer, more reliable deployment in remote and critical applications.
Power Electronics
ompact inverter cabinets, IGBTs, and conversion units face rising thermal stress as densities increase. Our pumped two-phase (P2P) cooling systems use a non-corrosive, dielectric refrigerant that vaporizes on contact with hot surfaces, removing heat more effectively than air or water. The result is a system that delivers more than twice the power density of water/glycol solutions, while ensuring inherent safety for sensitive electronics, a smaller footprint, and much lower parasitic loads. In short, denser electronics without the risk.
Energy Storage
In battery systems, uneven temperatures accelerate degradation and reduce capacity. Our active and passive solutions improve uniformity, extend life, and optimize performance. As outlined in North American Clean Energy, our solutions range from ECUs and chillers to advanced direct cooling systems. The outcome: longer-lasting batteries with higher usable capacity.
Navigating Thermal Management in Energy
This comprehensive guide offers critical insights and actionable strategies to help energy producers and industry professionals address the complexities of thermal management in clean energy systems.
Why early thermal management planning pays off
Too often, thermal management is treated as an afterthought— “bolted on” after the rest of the system is designed. That might work for legacy systems, but not for today’s higher power and density levels.
Integrating thermal strategy early allows teams to:
- Enable more compact, modular configurations without oversizing
- Improve uptime in harsh or remote environments
- Extend component life and reduce unplanned outages
- Unlock design flexibility for new deployment models and form factors
We work directly with OEMs, utilities, and integrators to co-develop architectures that meet performance, cost, and sustainability goals. Whether it’s a ruggedized battery storage cabinet, an edge-located power conversion unit, or a containerized SMR, our mission is the same: turn heat into a controllable design variable.
The New Reality
The clean energy leaders who solve overheating first will define the next decade. With every new generation of technology, thermal performance isn’t just a reliability factor—it’s a foundation for scalability. Thermal strategy isn’t optional anymore—it’s the competitive edge that separates tomorrow’s leaders from the rest.
ACT’s solutions are already deployed across aerospace, defense, data centers, and high-performance energy environments. We’ve seen the cost of ignoring thermal management, and we know what it takes to get it right.
Because clean energy works best when it stays cool.
See ACT at RE+ 2025 in Vegas
Visit us at Booth F15133 in Caesars Forum for live demonstrations of our thermal solutions. See how to keep your systems cooler, extend component life, and boost performance—or schedule a one-on-one meeting with our team during the event.
