Yle News 4.5.2020. Text by Petra Haavisto
Experience in storing surplus heat in the ground includes Finn Spring’s Toholamm factory.
The Kokkola-based company will supply a seasonal energy storage system to Guangzhou, China. Technology company Heliostorage has spent five years researching the technology needed to store thermal energy in the ground.
The Kokkola-based company’s contract includes the design of the seasonal storage facility, supervision of the construction phase, materials, spare parts and the company’s storage controller.
Energy storage in soil has been studied for decades in many universities, and pilots have been built around the world. In Central Ostrobothnia, surplus summer heat has been stored in the ground at Finn Spring’s factories in Toholamm, among others. A similar system is under construction at Kaustinen Evangelical College.
“The shore of the Gulf of Bothnia is practically this kind of soil. It can also be found in Guangzhou, China, so it is well suited to our project. The Finnish bedrock, on the other hand, is unsuitable for this project because of its high thermal conductivity.” -Timo Sivula
According to Timo Sivula, Development Director at Heliostorage, the soil suitable for storage is a moist mixture of sand and clay.
– The shore of the Gulf of Bothnia is practically such a soil. It is also found in Guangzhou, China, so it is well suited to our project. Finnish bedrock, on the other hand, is unsuitable for this project because of its high thermal conductivity.
