Our company, Grounded Heat, is building two demonstration facilities for the Sand Battery. Our first full-scale demonstration facility in Eskilstuna has now been completed and is operational, marking an important milestone in the development of our technology.
At the same time, we are building our next demonstration facility at Lilla Böslid in Halland together with Hushållningssällskapet Halland. Here, we will continue to develop and test the system under real-world operating conditions, with a particular focus on agriculture, greenhouses and sustainable food production.
Energy storage has long been seen as a physical system for storing and delivering energy. However, in modern energy systems, it is not only storage capacity that determines value, but how effectively energy can be controlled, optimized, and adapted to real-world needs.
This is where AI becomes a crucial part of the solution.
A sand battery is a robust system for thermal energy storage. However, its full potential is realized when combined with sensors, data, and intelligent control systems.
In our systems, data is continuously collected from sensors that monitor temperature, flow, and operating conditions. This information is used to understand and optimize how energy is stored and utilized over time.
AI is used to analyze operational data and improve the control of the energy storage system. This makes it possible to:
The result is an energy storage system that becomes more efficient the more it is used.
The major shift is not in the storage itself, but at the system level.
When energy storage is combined with AI, it becomes possible to create systems that adapt to:
This enables energy to be used where it creates the most value, at the right time and in the right place.
When thermal energy storage is combined with AI and real-time data, it creates a system that does not only store energy, but actively optimizes how it is used. At Grounded Heat, we develop sand batteries that combine robust physical storage with intelligent control.
This is how we make energy storage smarter, more flexible, and more value-generating.
The Sand Battery Technology is being developed by the Swedish company Grounded Heat. The work is currently in a development phase, where we are gradually testing, improving, and verifying the technology through practical projects and prototype installations.
The projects presented here are part of this ongoing development. Through pilot installations and collaborations with various partners, we are gathering experience in construction, operation, and system integration. These projects provide valuable knowledge that helps make the technology more robust, efficient, and scalable.
In the near future, we plan to offer support in the construction of sand batteries, as well as the delivery of selected components and parts. Our services will be aimed at homeowners, housing companies, municipalities, farmers, and industries interested in exploring the potential of thermal energy storage.
Eskilstuna Municipality is taking an active role in developing future energy solutions through its investment in sand battery technology in collaboration with Grounded Heat.
By enabling the construction of a demonstration facility, the municipality is positioning itself as a frontrunner in innovative energy storage. Here, a technology is being tested that can store heat over long periods and contribute to a more flexible and robust energy system.
This initiative shows how municipalities can drive technological development by creating space for real-world testing. In Eskilstuna, the sand battery is moving from concept to practical application, with the ambition of being used in both local and larger energy systems in the future.
The collaboration is a clear example of how courage, curiosity, and long-term thinking can be turned into action. By investing in new technology, Eskilstuna Municipality is helping to shape the energy solutions of tomorrow.
Photo by: Nazrin Babashova on Unsplash
The Swedish newspaper Dagens industri has published an article about Grounded Heat’s work with Sand Battery Technology and our ongoing development of the next prototype. The publication reflects a growing interest in thermal energy storage solutions and highlights both the potential of the technology and our current projects.
Sweden needs more fossil-free energy as society becomes increasingly electrified. But the energy system of the future is not only about building more electricity generation.
It is just as important to use the energy we already produce more intelligently.
When electricity demand is high, for example during cold winter days, the pressure on the electricity system can increase significantly. This makes flexibility and energy storage increasingly important.
The Swedish Energy Agency highlights flexibility as an important part of a stable and cost-effective energy system. By shifting energy use over time and using energy storage, peak demand can be reduced and energy can be used when it provides the greatest benefit.
A Sand Battery stores energy as heat. When energy is readily available, the Sand Battery can be charged to high temperatures. The stored heat can then be used when it is needed, for example to heat buildings, ventilation air or hot water.
This means that heating needs do not always have to be met by electricity precisely when demand for electricity is at its highest.
When we talk about an energy crisis, it is easy to ask:
How can we produce more energy?
But an equally important question is:
How can we use the energy we already have more intelligently?
The Swedish Energy Agency points out that flexibility can reduce the need for new generation and grid capacity. Energy storage can therefore become an important part of the solution as energy demand increases.
Thermal Energy Storage can also help make better use of locally produced solar energy. Solar panels generate a great deal of energy during the summer, while heating demand is often higher during autumn and winter. By storing energy as heat, part of this imbalance can be addressed.
The energy system of the future needs more fossil-free generation, expanded electricity grids and greater energy efficiency. But we also need to be able to store energy and control when it is used.
At Grounded Heat, we develop Sand Batteries for businesses with significant heating needs. By storing energy as heat, we aim to enable greater use of locally produced energy, reduce peak demand and create greater flexibility.
The energy system of the future is not only about producing more energy. It is about making smarter use of the energy we already have.
We have received support from the Swedish Board of Agriculture to form a working group on thermal energy storage for heating in greenhouses.
The project aims to explore how stored heat can be used to make agriculture more efficient, which can help reduce energy consumption and increase flexibility in energy use. It can also contribute to Sweden’s preparedness in times of crisis, such as prolonged power outages if a crisis or war occurs.
We look forward to developing solutions together with actors in the agricultural and energy sectors and to exploring how thermal energy storage can make the process more sustainable and cost-effective.
We are driven by a vision of a more sustainable and self-sufficient energy future. By developing innovative energy storage solutions, we aim to enable more efficient use of renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Our ambition is to scale up the technology and integrate it into both large and small energy systems, where Sand Batteries can play a key role in the sustainable energy supply of the future. We believe in collaboration between research, industry, and society to create long-term solutions that benefit both the environment and future generations.
We are creating a new method for storing energy in the form of heat during the summer. During the winter, the heat is used to heat water and indoor air.
Renewable energy is one of the UN's global goals. In the same spirit as the sand battery's objective, number seven is to "ensure access to economically affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all"
A large percentage of our greenhouse gas emissions come from the way we extract, convert and use fossil energy, not least for heating. For a normal Swedish villa, approx. 70% of the energy consumption is estimated to be used for heating hot water and indoor air.
Renewable energy solutions are becoming cheaper, more reliable and more efficient every day. The sand battery can be an important contribution to this development as it offers a solution to one of energy production's biggest challenges, namely a source of even energy supply all year round.
Solar energy stored in sand can keep the heat for months, which means that heat generated during the summer can be used to heat houses and water during the winter months. The sand battery is right on time: green, clean energy that is stored in sand, which is a cheap raw material with a low climate impact.
— The Sand Battery Development Team
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