The lurking hypothetical planet
According to Eronen, the aim is to become "a truly global company, constructing sand batteries all over the world" by 2023.
Sources: (BBC)
See also: Could gravity batteries be the answer to energy storage?
In order to scale up the battery for electricity generation, they will need to add a turbine to convert heat back to the grid.
They also need to consider how they will use the battery to generate significant amounts of electricity in addition to heat.
For every ton of refined lithium produced, the equivalent of between three and nine tons of CO2 is emitted, depending on how it is produced.
According to engineer and team member Tommi Eronen, they will have a working system to do that in the next two years.
The sand battery solution is not without its challenges, however. Indeed, the team needs to work out whether they can scale their technology enough to really make a difference.
Currently the sand battery is a uniquely Nordic solution to renewable energy storage. In theory, however, it could have applications all over the world.
Sand batteries are also more suitable for large-scale storage applications: this is tricky with lithium-ion batteries because they are inherently flammable.
Then there’s the environmental impact to consider: lithium is much worse than sand in terms of CO2 emissions.
It also has a very long lifetime in the sense that it can heat up and cool down any number of times. Over time it will become denser, at which point more sand will be added.
In terms of comparison with lithium-ion batteries (as the most commonly used alternative), the sand battery has a number of advantages.
There is no chemical reaction that occurs in the sand battery, so it does not go through the same troublesome process of aging.
Firstly, we do not have to worry about a sand battery degrading in the same way lithium-ion batteries do.
Sand is very effective at retaining heat over a long period of time, and it can store power for months on end.
There is no wear and tear involved with either the sand or the heat exchange pipes. The only moving part is the fan and, according to the developers, it's easy to replace if necessary.
This means that it does not contribute to the global shortage of high-quality river sand, which is used in very large quantities for construction.
The engineers of this renewable energy solution are very excited about it, and rightly so. The system is very low maintenance: it uses cheap, low quality sand that was rejected by builders.
The battery is then charged overnight when the cost of electricity is lower.
That is enough to heat and provide hot water for around 100 homes and a public swimming pool, supplementing power from the grid.
The battery stores around 8 MWh of thermal energy when it's full, and it is surrounded by thick insulation, which keeps the sand hot even when it is freezing outside.
When the demand for heat rises, the battery discharges around 200 kW of power through its heat exchange pipes.
Within the Vatajankoski power plant (about a three-hours' drive northwest of Helsinki) stands a 23 ft (7 m) steel container. That container encloses 100 tons of sand, two heating pipes, and a fan.
There are four young engineers in Finland, however, who believe they may have found the solution. Enter the world’s first commercial-scale sand battery.
The sand becomes a battery when it is heated to 600°C, using electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels in Finland.
With the supply of wind and solar energy heavily dependent on changing seasons and variable weather conditions, this is a topic that has many experts scratching their heads.
Despite this progress, a number of challenges still remain. One of the biggest challenges is how we can provide a year-round, steady supply of energy from renewable sources.
When it comes to renewable energy, we have made significant progress over the last two decades.
There are many countries that have renewable energy contributing to more than 20% of their total energy supply, and globally there are 10 million jobs associated with the renewable energy industries.
As a society, we have improved leaps and bounds in recent decades when it comes to renewable energy. Countries all over the world rely more and more on wind, solar, and wave energy to power their population's lives. Nonetheless, a key problem still persists, and that's how we can generate a steady supply of energy all year round. Enter the sand battery.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn all about it. Simply click on.
The world's first sand-powered battery
Could this be the answer to renewable energy?
LIFESTYLE Energy
As a society, we have improved leaps and bounds in recent decades when it comes to renewable energy. Countries all over the world rely more and more on wind, solar, and wave energy to power their population's lives. Nonetheless, a key problem still persists, and that's how we can generate a steady supply of energy all year round. Enter the sand battery.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn all about it. Simply click on.