Largest sand battery in the world
Finland has inaugurated a battery of industrial scale sand in the city of Pornainen in the south of the country. This battery should reduce carbon emissions from the local heating network by about 70%.
Developed by – Finnish company that also built the world’s first commercial – this battery has about 13 meters high and 15 meters wide.
Is the largest sand battery in the world. It serves as a means of storage for up to 100 MWh, with a round trip efficiency of 90%. This makes it about 10 times larger than the first battery of sand ever and capable of Store enough heat for the whole city for a week.
As details, this thermal energy storage reservoir (TES) is a key tool for locations such as Finland, which generate large amounts of wind and solar electricity, but also face variations in energy demand and supply.
The sand battery is charged when electricity is available at a low price and can keep the charge for months, helping to balance the power grid during periods of high demand.
But how does it work?
This battery does not store or provide electricity, directly.
What it does, as New Atlas explains, is to utilize excess electricity from renewable sources, to heat the sand contained in a large isolated silo through a closed circuit air tubes system, up to 600 ° C temperatures. The sand warms up and remains hot for a long time, acting like a battery.
Later, cold air is blown through the battery tubes, absorbing the heat of the sand as it moves through the system. This heated air – which can reach 400 ° C temperatures – can then convert steam water to industrial processes, or can heat water to urban heating using a device called heat exchanger.
This battery will play an important role to help the city reach carbonic neutrality; And you can inspire more municipalities in regions with climate and sources of energy similar to adopting these giant batteries.
