Can sand batteries be used in a thermal energy storage system?

Liisa Naskali, the COO of Polar Night Energy, said the project is “a significant step in scaling up the sand battery technology.” The thermal energy storage system will use crushed soapstone as its storage medium. Sand batteries can use sand or sand-like materials as a storage material.

How much energy can a 1 mw sand battery store?

The 1 MW Sand Battery will be capable of storing up to 100 MWh of thermal energy – a capacity equivalent to almost one month of heating demand in the summer and one week of demand in Pornainen in the winter.

Why has Finland halted gas & electricity supplies?

It has the longest Russian border in the EU and Moscow has now halted gas and electricity supplies in the wake of Finland's decision to join NATO. Concerns over sources of heat and light, especially with the long, cold Finnish winter on the horizon are preoccupying politicians and citizens alike.

Does Finland have green power?

Finland gets most of its gas from Russia, so the war in Ukraine has drawn the issue of green power into sharp focus. It has the longest Russian border in the EU and Moscow has now halted gas and electricity supplies in the wake of Finland's decision to join NATO.

Can a sand battery solve a storage problem?

But in the town of Kankaanpää, a team of young Finnish engineers have completed the first commercial installation of a battery made from sand that they believe can solve the storage problem in a low-cost, low impact way.

Does Finland need a district heating system?

"It's very useful in Finland where we have cold winters and need heating pretty much from September to May, [due to] an average annual temperature of under 10C (50F)," she says, adding that half of Finland's 5.5 million people are connected to a district heating network.