--- title: "Unrelated Teams Install “Sand Battery” and “Water Battery”" description: "Two new high capacity battery prototypes are pushing the frontiers of energy storage — and in a beachy twist, one is based on sand and the other on water." date: "2022-07-05" modified: "2022-07-05" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sand-battery-water-battery" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "battery" - "green energy" - "renewable energy" - "the digest" --- # Unrelated Teams Install “Sand Battery” and “Water Battery” ![Two new high capacity battery prototypes are pushing the frontiers of energy storage — and in a beachy twist, one is based on sand and the other on water.]() *\Image: Nant de Drance\* ## Battery Pack Two new high capacity battery prototypes are pushing the frontiers of energy storage — and in a beachy twist, one is based on sand and the other on water. Finnish researchers installed the first working "sand battery" prototype, [according to the *BBC News*](), while [*Euronews* reports]() that a team in Switzerland is already putting a new "[water battery]()" into full operation. Both confront the same infrastructural issue: though renewables are cheaper and more widespread than ever before, they're still at the mercy of clear skies and windy days. And in order to compete with fossil fuel powered grids, renewable energy needs to be "dispatchable" like its rival, or able to control its power output in order to balance out changes in the supply and demand of electricity. From an engineering point of view, that represents an extraordinary opportunity to anyone who can figure out how to store all that power and then release it when it's needed. ## Water Bender The sand battery, developed by a company called Polar Night Energy, heats sand stored in a silo containing around 100 tons of the stuff to a blistering 500 degrees Celsius, keeping the hot air it generates in circulation with a heat exchanger. When needed, according to TK**,** the hot air can be released on demand to heat water, which in turn can be used for heating or to generate electricity. Switzerland’s water battery, [according to to *The Independent*]()**,** is a pumped storage hydropower plant that stores massive amounts of water in two separate reservoirs at different elevations. Water is continuously pumped into the upper reservoir, and when additional energy is needed, the water is released downwards into a turbine that generates electricity. According to the newspaper, it took €2 billion and 14 years to complete the project, which is located in a cavern some 600 meters below the Swiss Alps. It’s not the first operational water battery — [or even the largest]() — but what makes this one particularly exciting is its impressive capacity and output: 20 million kilowatt hours and 900 megawatts, respectively, which the company says is enough to power 900,000 homes. That's some impressive scale. And these are just the latest experiments to [store energy]() in [unconventional ways]() — so watch this space, because energy storage is evolving fast. **More on renewable energy batteries:** *[Scientists Propose Turning Skyscrapers Into Massive Gravity Batteries]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()