In recent news, Finland is leading the war for renewable energy by launching the world’s first industrial-scale sand-based battery. This unusual innovation comes as a shock to us all, as the battery, nicknamed the Silent Tank, is taking root in reshaping the concept of storing renewable energy forever. This article will reveal the idea behind Finland’s push for innovation.

Unravelling the miracle called the Silent Tank

Typically, conventional batteries are systems that store power via a chemical reaction. The concept for the Silent Tank is quite the same, except that it’s a battery that is powered by sand. A sand battery is basically a system that stores thermal energy using sand or rock sediments.

In practice, renewable electricity is used to supply hot air into the sand/ rock sediments. This is done until a temperature between 500 and 600 degrees Celsius is attained. Then the battery retains this energy using it to heat up boilers, residential buildings, and supply electricity for infrastructural purposes. In fact, only 10-15% gets lost during preservation.

The concept for Silent Tank came to life through a Finnish company called Polar Night Energy. The first of its kind has been installed in the city of Pornainen. It is a 49-foot-wide silo capable of converting 2,000 metric tons of pulverized sand. This battery has a capacity of storing 100 megawatt-hours of heat at a time and expelling as high as 400 degrees Celsius.

What the Silent Tank means to locals in Pornainen

Finland is one of many countries with recurring winter crises. A concern of priority typically revolves around storing energy for seasons devoid of sunlight or wind power. The city is a municipality that runs such infrastructures as a district central heating system. This boils and supplies heated water for homes within the district.

To power this, it costs the city outrageous amounts of money to both acquire and maintain the use of crude oil. This is where Polar Night Energy comes in silently. With a powerhouse system like the Silent Tank, the city now has an opportunity to seamlessly run its district central heating network without burning large amounts of city revenue. Just like this groundbreaking device harnessing power from the air, this innovation goes beyond water heating networks. 

How does the Silent Tank’s battery aid the company in achieving its goals?

According to the company operating the district heating system. The Silent Tank battery aids the company in achieving its clean-energy goals by 2035. With the battery, they project a reduction in carbon emissions by 160 tons. This is 70% of the district’s carbon workload. Not only that, the Silent Tank battery is cost-effective and opens up a chance for the city to boycott the use of crude oil completely.

Beyond survival, this innovation looks to improve the overall economy of Pornainen, and by extension, Finland. Unlike hydrogen and other powered battery systems, the Silent Tank requires near-zero intricate infrastructure. This means the city cuts down on expenses wasted during typical battery constructions. Because of this, policymakers within the country are looking to larger renewable energy grids to power more systems. Without omitting its attractiveness to SMEs and investors.

A global outlook for Finland with the Silent Tank

For citizens of Finland, the 100MWh Silent Tank is a precursor to promising events within the country. If a successful run is maintained, there is bound to be a rapid installation of similar battery systems, starting with Europe and the world beyond.

This innovation welcomes a new dawn of renewable energy optimization with all sectors of human development. Pushing the world towards a future without large power plants, but towards underground energy. Finland already leads the race toward clean energy systems and is a beacon for the rest of the world to follow suit, like the powerful Japanese solar spheres hitting U.S homes.

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