Polar Night Energy Created a Large Sand Battery for Energy Storage
Colin Smith — July 11, 2022 — Eco
References: polarnightenergy.fi & fastcompany
'Polar Night Energy,' a Finnish innovation startup, unveiled a new battery power storage solution that leverages sand. The device is a large tower that Polar Night Energy filled with over 100 tons of sand. While this is not a battery in a traditional sense, the startup claims that the sand can be superheated by a mix of solar-power and other energy inputs. Then, once the sand is heated, it will remain super-heated through renewable energy sources for many months, resulting in a reliable power source.
The super-heated sand tower does not deliver direct AC or DC energy outputs, but rather it offers heat, which must be converted to a usable energy source. This is a difficult and oftentimes expensive process, but the low cost of creating the sand tower itself results in an overall affordable energy storage solution for many regions.
Polar Night Energy stated that the largest application of the sand tower is the storage of renewable energy from solar and wind grids that often dump excess energy. This results in more scalable renewable energy that provides more reliable power output over time, especially during downtimes such as non-windy days or long nights.
Image Credit: Polar Night Energy
The super-heated sand tower does not deliver direct AC or DC energy outputs, but rather it offers heat, which must be converted to a usable energy source. This is a difficult and oftentimes expensive process, but the low cost of creating the sand tower itself results in an overall affordable energy storage solution for many regions.
Polar Night Energy stated that the largest application of the sand tower is the storage of renewable energy from solar and wind grids that often dump excess energy. This results in more scalable renewable energy that provides more reliable power output over time, especially during downtimes such as non-windy days or long nights.
Image Credit: Polar Night Energy
Trend Themes
1. Sand-based Energy Storage - The use of sand as a superheated energy storage medium creates opportunities for scalable and affordable energy storage solutions.
2. Renewable Energy Storage - The sand-based energy storage solution makes it possible to store excess renewable energy that is dumped by wind and solar grids, providing more reliable power output over time.
3. Heat-to-energy Conversion - The super-heated sand tower requires converting heat to usable energy, which presents disruptive innovation opportunities for low-cost and efficient heat-to-energy technologies.
Industry Implications
1. Energy Storage - The sand-based energy storage solution presents opportunities for innovation in energy storage technology, especially for regions that generate excess renewable energy.
2. Renewable Energy - The sand-based energy storage solution pairs well with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, opening up disruptive innovation opportunities in this industry.
3. Heat-to-energy Conversion - The requirement to convert heat to usable energy presents innovation opportunities in industries such as waste heat recovery, thermoelectric power generation, and energy conversion technologies.
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