World's first commercial 'sand battery' begins energy storage in Finland



Solar power and wind power are attracting attention as clean energy, but since these renewable energies cannot always generate electricity, cheap and large-capacity storage batteries are indispensable for the transition from fossil fuels. .. Therefore, the idea of storing energy in

iron , concrete , molten salt , etc. has appeared so far. In addition, a Finnish company has begun commercial operation of a 'sand battery' that stores heat energy in sand for the first time in the world.

The First Commercial Sand-based Thermal Energy Storage in the World Is in Operation – BBC News Visited Polar Night Energy — Polar Night Energy
https://polarnightenergy.fi/news/2022/7/5/the-first-commercial-sand-based-thermal-energy-storage-in-the-world-is-in-operation-bbc-news-visited- polar-night-energy

World's first commercial sand battery begins energy storage in Finland
https://newatlas.com/energy/sand-battery-polar-night/

Below is a sand-based thermal energy storage device installed by Finnish energy company Polar Night Energy in collaboration with energy company Vatajankoski in the western part of the country. The size is 4 meters wide and 7 meters high, and you can see that it is a fairly large facility in comparison with the man standing in the lower right.



100 tons of sand is packed in the heat insulation tank, and it is possible to store heat energy equivalent to 8 megawatt hours (nominal rating 100 kW) by heating with the heat exchanger in the center. Since the stored heat energy can be extracted as needed, Vatajankoski supplies this heat and the heat of its data server to the heating system in the surrounding area, which is used for heating buildings and heated pools.

Markku Ylönen, Chief Technology Officer of Polar Night Energy, said, 'It's very easy to convert electricity into heat, but producing electricity from heat requires complex mechanisms such as turbines. Using heat as heat remains simple. ' According to the company, the sand battery is up to 99% efficient, can store heat for months, and has a lifespan of decades.



The sand can be used as long as it is dry and free of flammable debris, and it is fully automated without consumables, so the cost is very low and the installation cost is 10 euros per kilowatt (1 kW). It is about 1300 yen).

It is easy to scale up, and it is possible to reuse underground storage facilities and abandoned mines. It can also be used in ways not found in liquid-based energy storage systems, such as 'long-term heat storage in the center and short-term repetitive use on the surface.'

Regarding systems that use sand for heat storage, Ylönen said, 'This innovation is part of a smart and green energy transformation. Heat storage contributes significantly to the incorporation of intermittently generated renewable energy into the power network and waste heat. It also leads to a level that can be used to heat the city. This is a reasonable step towards heat production without combustion. '

in Note, Posted by log1l_ks