A sand thermal battery capable of storing 100 MWh of heat to heat the town has been put into operation in the Finnish city of Pornainen. This is reported by UNN referring to TechCrunch.
Details
The new system, created by Polar Night Energy, contains 2,000 tons of crushed steatite, a by-product of fireplace production from Tulikivi.
The sand battery is capable of storing heat for up to a week in winter and up to a month in summer, with a loss rate of only 10–15%.
The sand battery is connected to the central heating system of the town of Pornainen and provides heat to facilities such as a school, library and city hall. It generates up to 1 megawatt-hour of heat, which allows to reduce the use of wood chips in the boiler room by 60% and completely abandon outdated oil-fired boilers.
Quotes
Our goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2035, and the sand battery is an important step in this direction. The sand battery means a lot to Loviisan Lämpö. It allows us to drastically reduce our emissions and increase the reliability of heat production
This project is a powerful example that effective solutions to combat climate change exist. Loviisan Lämpö is a great example of a company that boldly invests in new technologies
Additionally
The sand battery stores heat at 500–600 °C for several days or even months, and the heat output provides heating water for local buildings.
In a year, it will reduce CO₂ emissions in Pornainen's central heating by approximately 160 tons, which is approximately 70% of the total emissions of this system.
Sand thermal batteries use excess electricity from renewable energy sources during low tariff periods, which allows to optimize costs and stabilize the grid.
Reference
A sand battery is a thermal storage device in which electricity (usually wind or solar) is converted into heat, which is stored in sand or crushed steatite. The system can operate as part of district heating centers, providing hot water and heat to cities.
Let us remind you
The first industrial pilot sand battery was built by Polar Night Energy in 2022 in the city of Kankaanpää. The new installation in Pornainen is ten times larger than the sample.