Finnish startup Polar Night Energy has developed a battery that uses sand to trap and store energy from solar and wind electricity. The high-energy storage facility, located in Kankaanpää, is fed power from the grid whenever excess electricity is available. Warming up to 600℃, the system traps the heat until it's needed, when it can be released as either hot water, steam, or air. So far, the battery is providing a local district heating network, heating homes and businesses and a municipal swimming pool. A similar sand battery will be installed in the city of Pornaien in a recent agreement between Polar Night Energy and district heating company Loviisan Lämpö.
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