Finnish Innovation: The World’s First Sand Battery Successfully Used for Long-Term Energy Storage

To meet the challenge of storing renewable energy, Finnish scientists have come up with a strange yet highly effective solution: the ‘Sand Battery’.

This industrial-scale battery is the world’s first commercially launched long-duration thermal energy storage system, which is serving as a new tool against the climate crisis.

Developed by Finland’s Polar Night Energy, the technology heats ordinary sand to around 600 degrees Celsius (600°C) in a large steel tank using electric heaters.

It uses surplus renewable electricity (such as solar power in the summer) to store energy and supply it to the district heating network of surrounding districts in the winter. This has reduced dependence on fossil fuels and reduced local emissions by up to 70%.

The main advantages of sand batteries are their low cost and durability. Sand is readily available, non-flammable and can store heat for decades, making it much more durable than lithium-ion batteries.

Although its efficiency is lower than that of lithium batteries, it is making renewable energy viable in regions where ensuring uninterrupted heat supply is a major challenge.

This innovation proves that it is possible to find cheap and abundant materials in nature for sustainable energy solutions.