New ‘sand-in-motion’ battery offers 10x more heat transfer efficiency

The Finnish cleantech startup TheStorage officially commissioned its first industrial-scale thermal energy system at a local brewery in January 2026. 

This operational pilot represents a massive leap in efficiency, offering a solution that can cut energy costs by up to 70% and reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% for manufacturing facilities.

“The system converts renewable electricity into heat, stores it in sand, and delivers it for on-demand industrial heating,” said the company in a press release.

The system addresses a critical global challenge, as industrial heat production currently accounts for one-fifth of the world’s total energy consumption, with 80% of that demand still being met by fossil fuels like oil and gas. 

“Industrial heat production is one of the largest and hardest-to-solve sources of carbon emissions worldwide,” highlighted the press release.

To combat this, the new technology is designed to be highly scalable, offering storage capacities ranging from 20 to 500 MWh and charging power between 1 to 20 MW, allowing it to meet the heavy-duty needs of diverse industrial sectors.

Addresses the intermittency of renewable energy

The system uses a “sand-in-motion” principle to store energy where cheap, abundant renewable electricity powers an electric heater to begin the charging process. 

“Cool sand moves from a cold silo to an electric heater, reaching temperatures up to 800°C,” added the press release.

“The heated sand is then stored in a hot silo, where energy is efficiently retained in stationary sand.”

Finally, when the brewery requires steam for its production lines, the hot sand is circulated through an external heat exchanger to discharge the heat on demand, achieving a tenfold higher heat transfer efficiency than conventional static storage models.

Ecological and economical practicality

By replacing fossil-fuel boilers with a system that utilizes electricity when prices are at their lowest, companies can finally align their ecological goals with economic practicality.

“Companies have wanted to decarbonize for years, but viable solutions simply weren’t available,” remarked Timo Siukkola, CEO of TheStorage. 

“Finally, renewable energy generation can meet industrial heat demand in a way that’s both ecologically sound and economically practical.”

Vesa Peltola, Production Director of the brewery, noted that producing steam without fossil fuels is a major step toward carbon-neutral production. 

This real-world testing proves that even the most heat-intensive industries, from food production to chemical processing, can transition away from gas and oil.

Detailed engineering and development work

The journey began in 2023 when the concept for the sand-in-motion storage emerged in Finland, which led to detailed engineering and development work throughout 2024. 

This process reached its peak in early 2026 when the first industrial-scale pilot was installed and began producing fossil-free steam for the brewery’s production lines.

“Heat emissions now appear simultaneously in sustainability reports, energy costs, and customer requirements,” concluded Siukkola. 

“This forces industrial companies to reconsider how they produce heat to remain competitive in global supply chains.”