The World’s First Unique “Sand Battery” Was Installed In Finland
The world’s first sand battery has been launched in Finland, allowing it to store energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources for months.
The developers of the technology hope that their invention will solve the main problem that stands in the way of the rapid development of green energy, its seasonal nature.
The principle of operation of the battery is simple: cheap solar and wind energy is used to heat a pool filled with cheap dirty sand.
Sand can be heated to temperatures of around 500°C, and its high heat capacity allows it to store the lion’s share of energy, which can later be used to heat residential buildings in winter, when demand for heat increases strongly, and prices rise with it.
Finland buys most of its gas from Moscow, so the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine has made the problem of transitioning energy “on a green rail” especially relevant. In this regard, the Finns have taken care of how to heat their homes with clean energy when wind and solar stations are not working due to weather conditions. Lithium batteries were chosen not to be used as they are expensive, take up a lot of space and can only handle a limited amount of excess power.
