Thats on a single charge.
Polar Night is constructing the sand battery for the town of Pornainen in southern Finland.
Now, Polar Night Energy has secured a sizable7.6mn to scale its thermal energy storage tech.
Theres been considerable interest in our work, with investors recognising our potential, Ylonen said.
South African billionaire Jonathan Oppenheimer provided the bulk of financing.
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How does the sand battery work?
The sand battery chargesup whenrenewable energy is in plentiful supply like on a particular windy or sunny day.
This can provide heat to households, factories, and even swimming pools.
The new battery will be about 10 times bigger than apilot plantthe startup has been operating since 2022.
An alternative to lithium-ion?
The best thing about sand batteries is their simplicity.
Polar Night says its system can be built using standard off-the-shelf components.
Unlike lithium-ion batteries which rely on hard-to-mine minerals, the sand battery uses dirt.
Specifically, the battery inPornainen will be filled with crushed soapstone, a byproduct of the construction industry.
Polar Night says the batteries work with any sand-like material that has a high enough density.
However, unlike conventional batteries, sand batteries are only suitable for heating, not electricity production.
Nevertheless, district heating systems still represent a huge, largely untapped market.
According to theInternational Energy Agency(IEA), heating accounts for around half of total energy consumption.
In Europe, the majority of this heat comes fromburningnatural gas, oil, wood chips or waste.
These gains come from a system that Polar Nightclaimscan dispense energy at a cost-competitive 10 per kilowatt-hour.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
