The sustainable energy company Polar Night Energy has developed a giant sand battery to heat an entire district in Finland.
The sand battery is already in use in Pornainen, Finland, as part of the district heating system of the company Loviisan Lämpö.
“The sand battery means a lot to Loviisan Lämpö. It allows us to drastically reduce our emissions and improve the reliability of heat production,” said Mikko Paajanen, CEO of Loviisan Lämpö.
It works by storing electricity as heat in crushed stones, such as soapstone. This stored heat can then be released on demand to heat homes and buildings.
The facility provides 1 MW of thermal energy and stores up to 100 MWh of energy, completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels in the region’s heating system.
The sand battery is expected to reduce the annual CO₂ equivalent emissions from the local heating network by about 160 tons. This represents a reduction of nearly 70% in the region’s climate impact.
Photo and video: Polar Night Energy. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
