Antora Energy, a thermal battery startup, has secured $550 million in a Series C funding round, one of the largest cleantech rounds this year. The financing was co-led by G2 Venture Partners and Eclipse, with significant participation from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Decarbonization Partners.

This latest funding brings Antora's total raised since 2017 to $770 million. The company plans to use the capital to accelerate the deployment of large-scale energy projects nationwide, aiming to meet the surging demand from data centers driven by the AI boom. Antora recently deployed a 5 gigawatt-hour system in South Dakota, described as one of the world's largest battery storage projects.

Antora's technology utilizes thermal batteries that store low-cost electricity as heat in solid carbon blocks, enabling round-the-clock delivery of heat or power. The company emphasizes that its modular, factory-built solutions can serve diverse industries, including data centers, chemical plants, and the grid, without relying on constrained critical minerals or lengthy construction timelines. This approach facilitates rapid deployment of affordable, clean energy.