#recent advancements in nanotechnology have made it possible to create high-performance sand batteries that are more efficient

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sand battery

What Is a ‘Sand Battery’ 2023?

A “sand battery” is a high temperature thermal energy storage that uses sand or sand-like materials as its storage medium. It stores energy in sand as heat. 

Its main purpose is to work as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess wind and solar energy. The energy is stored as heat, which can be used to heat homes, or to provide hot steam and high temperature process heat to industries that are often fossil-fuel dependent.

As the world shifts towards higher and higher renewables fraction in electricity production, the intermittent nature of these energy sources cause challenges to energy networks. The sand battery helps to ambitiously upscale renewables production by ensuring there’s always a way to benefit from clean energy, even if the surplus is massive.

The first commercial sand battery in the world is in a town called Kankaanpää, Western Finland. It is connected to a district heating network and heating residential and commercial buildings such as family homes and the municipal swimming pool. The district heating network is operated by an energy utility called Vatajankoski.

The term “sand battery” was introduced to grand audience by a BBC News story published the 5th of July 2022. The story was written by BBC News’ Environmental Correspondent Matt McGrath.

Read the story: BBC News: Climate change: 'Sand battery' could solve green energy's big problem

Watch the video: BBC News: How the world's first sand battery stores green power

UPDATE: We’ve been getting a lot of attention after our sand battery went viral. Due to a massive amount of requests and messages, our reply times can be very long. We appreciate your patience. Thank you! Please also note that we don’t have products for individual homes yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the structure of your heat storage?

It is an insulated silo made of steel housing, filled with sand and heat transfer pipes. Additionally, equipment outside the storage is required, such as automation components, valves, a fan, and a heat exchanger or a steam generator.

How do you heat the sand?

With electricity from the grid or from local production, in both cases from fluctuating sources such as wind and solar. We charge it when clean and cheap electricity is available. The electrical energy is transferred to the heat storage using a closed loop air-pipe arrangement. Air is heated up using electrical resistors and circulated in the heat transfer piping.

How hot is the sand?

The maximum temperature in the Kankaanpää heat storage is about 600 degrees Celsius. However, the temperature may even be higher depending on customer needs. In practice, the maximum temperature of a sand-based heat storage is not limited by the properties of the storage medium, but by the heat resistance of the materials used in the construction and control of the storage.

How do you get heat out of the heat storage?

The heat storage is unloaded by blowing cool air through the pipes. It heats up as it passes through the storage, and it can be used for example to convert water into process steam or to heat district heating water in an air-to-water heat exchanger.

Why do you use sand?

Many solid materials, such as sand, can be heated to temperatures well above the boiling point of water. Sand-based heat storages can store several times the amount of energy that can be stored in a water tank of a similar size; this is thanks to the large temperature range allowed by the sand. So, it saves space and it allows versatile use in many industrial applications.

What kind of a sand you are using?

The heat storage is not very sensitive to sand grain size. We prefer high density, low-cost materials that are not from scarce sources. Someone else’s dirt could be our heat storage medium. We prefer to use materials that are not suitable for construction industry.

Does it matter what the grain size of the sand is?

Not much, we prefer to use those grain sizes that are not suitable for construction industry.

How is the heat storage insulated?

The heat storage is made of steel and insulated with standard, heat resistant insulating materials. The insulation is all around the heat storage between the outer steel layer and the inner one.

How long does the sand stay hot in the winter?

It can stay hot for months if needed, but the actual use case of the heat storage in Kankaanpää is to charge it in about 2-week cycles. The heat storage has its best range of use when it is charged and discharged 20 to 200 times per year, depending on the application.

Is the outer surface of the heat storage hot?

The surface of the storage is not hot, because the heat stays inside the storage—where it should be.

Can it store electricity?

Not as such, as it stores energy in the form of heat. The heat can be converted back to electricity using turbines like the ORC-turbine or a steam turbine. This requires additional investments to the turbine technology, and the conversion to electricity has inherent losses, thus complicating the economical side.

Is this a new technology?

Well, yes and no. The idea of heating sand to store energy is not new. Our way of doing things and commercializing it in large scale applications is.

#Sand Battery: An Innovative Energy Storage Solution #In recent years #the world has seen a growing demand for renewable energy sources that can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate the effec #energy storage remains a major challenge for the wider adoption of these technologies. This is where the sand battery comes in #an innovative energy storage solution that has been gaining traction in the scientific community. #A sand battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses sand as its electrolyte #the substance that facilitates the flow of electric current. The concept of using sand in batteries is not new #as it has been studied since the 1980s. However #recent advancements in nanotechnology have made it possible to create high-performance sand batteries that are more efficient #durable #and cost-effective than ever before. #The basic principle behind a sand battery is simple. The battery consists of two electrodes #an anode and a cathode #separated by a layer of sand. When the battery is charged #electrons flow from the anode to the cathode through the sand #creating a flow of electricity. When the battery is discharged #the process is reversed #and the electrons flow back to the anode #providing electrical power. #One of the key advantages of sand batteries is their high energy density #which means they can store a large amount of energy in a small space. This makes them ideal for use in applications where space is limited #such as in mobile devices and electric vehicles. In addition #sand batteries are non-toxic #environmentally friendly #and have a long lifespan #making them a more sustainable energy storage solution compared to traditional batteries. #Another advantage of sand batteries is their low cost. Unlike traditional batteries that use expensive metals such as lithium and cobalt #sand batteries use abundant and widely available materials such as sand #graphite #and aluminum. This makes them a more affordable energy storage solution