Polar Night Energy in Finland has completed the installation of a battery system that uses around 100 tonnes of sand as its main component, storing green energy in the form of heat for months at the Vatajankoski power plant, which operates the district heating system. Sand is a highly efficient heat storage medium with little loss over time.
Climate change and rising fossil fuel prices are prompting many organizations and companies to invest in renewable energy production.
Solar panels and wind turbines are being invested in by many organizations and companies to produce renewable energy. However, the challenge is how to maintain electricity when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing?
Additionally, adding more renewable energy to the grid needs to be accompanied by grid balancing solutions, as too little or too much electricity can have negative consequences.
A large-scale battery system capable of storing and balancing energy demand is needed to overcome this problem. However, most batteries today are made of lithium, which is very expensive for its large size and is also not very efficient.
Sand batteries, whose key component is about 100 tons of sand piled inside a silo (tall, round tower), can store green energy for months.
How the sand battery works: Sand is heated to 500 degrees Celsius by using cheap surplus electricity to heat a resistor. This process, using a heat exchanger, creates hot air that circulates through the sand. According to Polar Night Energy, their device can keep sand at 500 degrees Celsius for several months.
When needed, the batteries release hot gas to warm water for district heating systems. The water is then pumped to homes, offices, and even swimming pools, helping to alleviate concerns about heat during Finland’s long, cold winters.
One of the big challenges right now for Polar Night Energy is scaling up the sand battery technology to really make a difference and getting it used by developers to generate electricity as well as heat?
Experts have found that using sand simply to return stored electricity to the grid is not very efficient. However, most of the heat used for food, beverage, textile and pharmaceutical production today comes from burning fossil fuels, so storing green energy as heat for long periods of time has huge benefits for industry.
Craving for snacks but afraid of gaining weight? Dont worry, lets explore together many types of weight loss snacks that are high in fiber, low in calories without making you try to starve yourself.
Prioritizing a consistent sleep schedule and evening routine can help improve the quality of your sleep. Heres what you need to know to stop tossing and turning at night.
Adding a printer to Windows 10 is simple, although the process for wired devices will be different than for wireless devices.
Diet is important to our health. Yet most of our meals are lacking in these six important nutrients.
You want to have a beautiful, shiny, healthy nail quickly. The simple tips for beautiful nails below will be useful for you.
Students need a specific type of laptop for their studies. It should not only be powerful enough to perform well in their chosen major, but also compact and light enough to carry around all day.
Birth defects are something no one wants. Although they cannot be completely prevented, you can take the following steps to reduce the risk of birth defects in your baby.
As you know, RAM is a very important hardware part in a computer, acting as memory to process data and is the factor that determines the speed of a laptop or PC. In the article below, WebTech360 will introduce you to some ways to check for RAM errors using software on Windows.
The automatic home coffee maker is a modern and professional product, bringing you and your family delicious cups of coffee with just a few quick steps.
Smart TVs have really taken the world by storm. With so many great features and the ability to connect to the Internet, technology has changed the way we watch TV.
Refrigerators are familiar appliances in families. Refrigerators usually have 2 compartments, the cool compartment is spacious and has a light that automatically turns on every time the user opens it, while the freezer compartment is narrow and has no light.
Wi-Fi networks are affected by many factors beyond routers, bandwidth, and interference, but there are some smart ways to boost your network.
If you want to go back to stable iOS 16 on your phone, here is the basic guide to uninstall iOS 17 and downgrade from iOS 17 to 16.
Yogurt is a great food. Is it good to eat yogurt every day? What will happen to your body when you eat yogurt every day? Let's find out together!
This article discusses the most nutritious types of rice and how to maximize the health benefits of whichever rice you choose.
