Finland warms up the world's largest sand battery, the economics look appealing
a year ago
- #renewable-energy
- #sustainability
- #thermal-storage
- Finland has activated the world's largest sand-based battery, a thermal energy storage system using sand or crushed rock to store heat from renewable electricity.
- The sand battery in Pornainen uses 2,000 metric tons of crushed soapstone (a waste product) to store heat, reducing the town's carbon emissions and cutting oil dependency for district heating.
- The battery can store 1,000 MWh of heat for weeks, with only 10-15% heat loss, and provides temperatures up to 400°C, reducing wood chip consumption by 60%.
- Thermal batteries are gaining interest as renewables become cheaper, with startups like Sunamp, Electrified Thermal Solutions, and Fourth Power developing innovative storage solutions.
- Pornainen's battery charges from Finland's grid (43% renewables, 26% nuclear), leveraging cheap electricity (€0.08/kWh) and costing less than lithium-ion batteries ($25/kWh estimated vs. $115/kWh for lithium-ion).