How Sand Batteries Have The Potential To Change Energy Storage

The biggest downside of renewable energy is that how much power it generates is largely dependent on external factors; if the wind isn’t blowing, there is very little you can do to make your turbine or solar panels generate more power. For this reason, renewables become much more effective when paired with batteries that can store the energy for when you need it later. Lately, lithium batteries have been the industry standard, but some developing technologies could shake this up.

Sand batteries operate differently from lithium batteries; instead of utilizing a chemical mixture and ions, sand batteries simply store the electricity as heat that can then be extracted later. They do this by passing the electricity through a heating element embedded in the sand, which causes the sand to heat up. Other materials than sand could be used, but sand has several features that make it an ideal material.

1.      It is very dense, allowing it to store a lot of heat.

2.      It is easy to heat and retains this heat remarkably well.

3.      It is very abundant.

Sand batteries also have the advantage of being significantly less environmentally impactful in their creation when compared to lithium-ion batteries.

This technology already exists for large scale commercial uses, but now several companies are taking this technology and scaling it down so it can be used for residential purposes. These batteries are also incredibly efficient; their round-trip efficiency (the percentage of electricity put into storage that can be extracted) is over 90%+ which surpasses the 90% of lithium-ion batteries and far exceeds the 70% of lead batteries.

Sand batteries are the bleeding edge of energy storage technology and offer several advantages when compared to traditional options, including higher efficiency, smaller environmental impact, and cheaper production. Become part of this innovative wave in electricity by considering our Anorra turbines here.