Finland speeds up energy shift with sand-based batteries
Finland's Sand Battery Revolutionizes District Heating
Kankaanpää, a town located 270 kilometers northwest of Helsinki, Finland, is home to an innovative energy storage system that is making waves in the renewable energy sector. This system, a sand battery, is part of the utility Vatajankoski and was built by a Finnish startup called Polar Night Energy.
The structure in question is a 4-meter by 7-meter steel tank filled with 100 tons of sand. This sand battery has been in operation since last year and provides district heating for the town of Kankaanpää, serving a population of approximately 13,000 people.
Sand batteries, like the one in Kankaanpää, are starting to make headway, including in Italy. These energy storage systems are gaining traction, particularly during the transition to renewable energy and the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
Sand batteries are a type of innovative energy storage system that stores excess clean electricity as heat in heated sand, which can later be released for heating needs and power supply. This technology is relatively low-cost and environmentally friendly compared to mineral-intensive battery alternatives.
Polar Night Energy's sand battery in Kankaanpää is a significant addition to the district heating system in the town, contributing to its efficiency and sustainability. The district heating system in Kankaanpää is a new addition, having been in operation since last year.
In the broader energy storage landscape, sand batteries are part of emerging alternative technologies that address cost, material abundance, and safety concerns associated with conventional lithium-ion batteries. While innovations in battery chemistries such as sodium-ion, solid-state, and lithium-sulfur batteries focus mainly on electrochemical storage, sand batteries represent a thermochemical solution that optimizes existing renewable energy by storing excess electricity as thermal energy, which is particularly advantageous for heating applications.
The market for sand batteries is growing alongside other battery technologies, with the global sand battery market valued at approximately USD 4.81 billion in 2024 and expected to expand substantially through 2034. The technology shows potential to be deployed globally, especially in regions with significant heating demands and variable renewable energy production, enabling more stable, clean energy systems and reducing fossil fuel consumption in heating sectors.
In summary, sand batteries are a promising and rapidly advancing technology for storing renewable energy as heat over long durations, enabling efficient decarbonization of heating systems and supporting grid stability. The successful implementation of the sand battery in Kankaanpää, Finland, demonstrates the potential of this technology to revolutionize district heating systems and contribute to a more sustainable future.
[1] Kankaanpää Sand Battery: Storing 100 MWh of Energy for Weeks at High Temperatures. (2021, November 15). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.energystoragesolutions.org/news/kankaanpaa-sand-battery-storing-100-mwh-of-energy-for-weeks-at-high-temperatures
[2] Sand Battery Energy Storage System. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.polarnightenergy.fi/sand-battery
[3] The Sand Battery: A Promising Thermal Energy Storage System. (2021, December 2). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-sand-battery-a-promising-thermal-energy-storage-system
[4] Global Sand Battery Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2028. (2021, November 29). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/sand-battery-market
- The sand battery, a prominent addition to Kankaanpää's district heating system, is a significant player in the broader energy storage landscape, particularly in environmental-science and finance sectors, as it addresses concerns about cost, material abundance, and safety associated with conventional lithium-ion batteries.
- In the global arena, sand batteries, like the one in Kankaanpää, are gaining traction within the science and industry fields, with the market expected to be worth approximately USD 4.81 billion in 2024 and grow substantially through 2034, exhibiting potential to be deployed globally for a more sustainable future.
- Sand batteries, offering an innovative approach to renewable energy storage in the science field, are becoming increasingly relevant not only for power supply but also for environmental-science applications, as they efficiently decarbonize heating systems and support grid stability thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.
