Cleantech start-up TheStorage has installed a sand-based thermal storage pilot at a brewery in Finland to provide fossil-free industrial heat.
The pilot system converts renewable electricity into heat, stores it in sand and delivers it for on-demand industrial heating.
It aims to address the variable availability of renewable electricity by storing surplus energy when it’s abundant and releasing it as heat, helping to ensure a consistent supply of fossil-free energy.
Having developed the idea in 2023, TheStorage has now installed its first industrial-scale pilot at Finland’s fifth-largest brewery, Nokian Brewery, for real-world industrial testing, where it will be used to produce fossil-free steam for the brewery’s production lines.
TheStorage estimates that its heat storage solution could cut industrial energy costs by up to 70% and carbon emissions by up to 90%.
Timo Siukkola, CEO of TheStorage, said: “Companies have wanted to decarbonise for years, but viable solutions simply weren’t...