Finnish scientists have installed the first sand battery. It is able to store heat for several months.
Miscellaneous / / July 06, 2022
This is an inexpensive way to solve the main problem of green energy.
Finnish company Polar Night Energy established in the city of Kankaanpää, the world's first commercial sand battery. It is able to store the heat received from solar panels and windmills for several months. Thanks to this, in winter it is possible to heat buildings with the energy generated in autumn.
Approximately 100 tons of low-grade construction sand were poured into a steel cylinder measuring 4 by 7 meters. With the help of inexpensive green electricity, it was heated to 500-600ºC. At this temperature, it does not melt (this requires 1700ºC), but retains heat very well with minimal loss.
When conventional electricity becomes more expensive, the battery discharges hot air to heat water for the district heating system. It, in turn, provides cheap heat to homes, offices and even the local pool.
So far, it is not clear how realistic it is to scale this technology in order to transfer, say, an entire city to green energy. Another important challenge is to find a way to store electricity: sand stores heat, but when it is converted into electricity, the losses are too great for this system to be efficient.
But the achievement itself is important. This is a great opportunity for the food and beverage, textile and pharmaceutical industries to go greener, as the heat they use typically comes from burning fossil fuels.
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