A sand battery converts clean electricity into heat, and the biggest one in the world runs town district heating in Finland.
How Does It Operate?
Using excess energy generated by wind and solar energy, it heats a grain-like substance in a silo which is over 2000 tonnes of crushed soapstone. This Pornainen plant has the capacity of 100 MWh. This allows to cover almost one week of the heating demand of winter or even one month in summer in terms of heating.
How does sand battery help the environment?
The installation is supposed to decrease emissions of the district heating system by 70 % and stop its reliance on oil. Moreover, charging in the periods of cheap electricity also helps the grid to cope with surplus power. Charging sand battery when power is cheap also supports the grid, a useful partner for rooftop solar and strained power grids.
What are the drawbacks?
Sand battery/batteries do work only in the places where there are district heating systems. The manufacturers claim that they are very effective for the industries where heat must be higher than 100 degrees which is unattainable for heat pumps and electrical boilers.
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