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Typical questions we have been getting

Can Batsand use the surplus of my solar panel?

Yes. Batsand provides sensors that connect to your home power supply. When those detect electricity being diverted to the public grid it will trigger the heating equipment to start working and use the surplus to heat the battery.

Do I need an internet connection?

No. You will need a router, but all sensors and triggers can work without an internet connection.

Can I use Batsand without a neutral supply?

No. Some of the sensors and the heating components will require a neutral power supply.

Can I use black sand in the sand tank?

No. Batsand can effectively be used with a variety of grain sizes but it requires it to be inorganic sand.

What insulation should I use for the sand pool?

All types of insulation needed can be bought in any DIY shop. You can use stone wool, mineral wool, polystyrene or polyurethane insulation.

Can I use Batsand without solar panels?

Yes. If your region has variable electricity pricing and the price is low in the summer, you can program Batsand to automatically turn on when the price reaches the desired price. Without variable electricity pricing, your only solution is to pair Batsand with solar panels.

How many kW of solar panels do I need?

You can see the recommendation table by batsand here. But as an alternative, you can ask any neighbor with solar panels how much kW they use from their panels and how much is diverted to the grid (a house usually only uses 50% of the available power). As a rule of thumb, you should consider 6kW for home use and 14kW for supply batsand. Having a total of 20kw system.

What are the risks associated with sand batteries?

There are no significant risks associated with our system, unlike chemical batteries. We store heat at 500°C, with heated sand safely encapsulated in insulation. In the unlikely event of sabotage leading to a water leak into the sand, the water would evaporate instantly upon contact. The system is designed to prevent pressurization, so any excess would simply escape as steam.

What issues might arise when using it for hot water?

Hot water can be supplied at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 85°C, and we anticipate no problems within this range. However, if someone attempts to hack the system to achieve higher temperatures, there may be issues with the valves due to increased pressure. In such cases, it's essential for the individual to consider using valves that can withstand those higher pressures.

Is the quality of the sand and the sand's specific heat important?

No. All our tests utilize the worst sand available: dune sand, which has the lowest thermal conductivity. For industries that require faster charging and discharging, iron sand could be beneficial.

is it possible to heat an underfloor system that normally operates at lower temperatures than radiators?

Yes, you can connect the hot water supply from the battery to two water mixers: one for a lower temperature and another for a higher temperature. This is a totally normal situation.

 If you didn't find what you were looking for, please write your questions in the comments. 

Comments (36)

Marco Tol
Marco Tol
Nov 15

Is the Batsand Heating Battery complete with air-water exchanger and the necessary connections?

electrical controls? Is a technical sheet available?

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-p4p4-
Sep 24

Do you have any references of installations in Germany?

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Replying to

Not yet. We are still busy in the UAE market and trying to finalize everything here before we can dedicate ourselves to the EU market.

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elandbas
Sep 08

is it possible to heat an underfloor system which normally operates at lower temperatures than radiators?

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-p4p4-
Sep 24
Replying to

That is an intriguing question, I also would like to know. In many houses, there are underfloor heating systems installed.

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Replying to

Hello, Yes, you can connect the hot water supply from the battery to two water mixers: one for a lower temperature and another for a higher temperature. This is a totally normal situation.

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xcann58
Sep 06

Hello,

What are the risks associated with sand batteries? Can they explode? How much energy is required for a 1 cubic meter sand battery? How much energy does a 1 cubic meter sand battery produce in joules? What issues might arise when using it for hot water? Is the quality of the sand and the sand's specific heat important?

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Replying to

Hello,

I will try to respond as easily as possible.

What are the risks associated with sand batteries?

There are no significant risks associated with our system, unlike chemical batteries. We store heat at 500°C, with heated sand safely encapsulated in insulation. In the unlikely event of sabotage leading to a water leak into the sand, the water would evaporate instantly upon contact. The system is designed to prevent pressurization, so any excess would simply escape as steam.

How much energy is required for a 1 cubic meter sand battery?

Not sure how to respond. It should be the opposite question, for a consumption of XYZ , how many cubic meters of sand do I need? please check our available table at the end of page https://www.batsand.com/sand-battery

How much energy does a 1 cubic meter sand battery produce in joules?

Im guessing you mean how much it can store. wWe give you the amount in KWH, you can just convert it to Joules. Please check our available table at the end of page https://www.batsand.com/sand-battery

What issues might arise when using it for hot water?

Hot water can be supplied at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 85°C, and we anticipate no problems within this range. However, if someone attempts to hack the system to achieve higher temperatures, there may be issues with the valves due to increased pressure. In such cases, it's essential for the individual to consider using valves that can withstand those higher pressures.

Is the quality of the sand and the sand's specific heat important?

No. All our tests utilize the worst sand available: dune sand, which has the lowest thermal conductivity. For industries that require faster charging and discharging, iron sand could be beneficial.

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Do you have an Dutch(The Netherlands) reseller who can assist with local sales?

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Replying to

Currently we dont have.

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Do you have an Australian reseller who can assist with local sales?

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Replying to

Currently we dont have.

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Brian
Jul 11

For applications needing more power but less seasonal energy (e.g.: 1000 sq. ft of walkway hydronic snow melting using 50 kW of heat for 80-130 hours of operation/year) can multiple 25 kW units combine and use the same sand storage tank? What would be the minimum volume sand tank needed to sustain the required power output?

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Replying to

You don't need multiple units. You just need 1 unit that will store enough power that you can then run your hydronic system. 50kw output is not a problem. You just need to consider that you will require sometime to heat up the storage.


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gdm
Jul 05

Hi,

You thermal storage is interesting. Might we use csp solar fresnel panel to heat the air?

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Replying to

Yes it's possible. We are currently building in Abu Dhabi a system to store thermal energy directly from a 100kw CSP device.

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What is the operating temperature range of the sand battery? I.e. at what temperature does the sand start/stop supplying functional heat to the home’s central heating system, at say 80 degrees?


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Replying to

Around 55C.

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Is it possible to use your system in conjunction with a water based thermal store, so topping up the heat in the ‘water battery’ as that is depleted?

We get a lot of winter sun in Johannesburg, but don’t have a Feed In Tariff so can’t sell excess power to the grid.

A sand battery could capture all the excess power during summer, whilst the water battery would be a more efficient method (thus fewer panels required) to capture the energy for use that same day, during winter.

Would this be viable?

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Replying to

Hello,

Currently we dont support water tanks.

For your specific case I would recommend a smaller unit. When we will start deploying our system there will also be the possibility to get one.


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