Finnish researchers build stirling engine-based Carnot battery prototype using sand for heat storage

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Researchers in Finland have developed a new prototype of a Carnot battery using a Stirling engine and sand for heat storage. This innovative technology aims to improve energy storage efficiency, although it has encountered challenges with thermal losses.

Scientists in Sweden experimentally evaluated a Stirling engine–based Carnot battery (SECB) prototype using low-cost sand as thermal energy storage, aiming to validate electricity-to-heat-to-electricity storage concepts. Tests showed that higher engine temperatures improved output and duration, but round-trip efficiency remained low, mainly due to thermal losses and limited heat transfer in the sand bed.