Live data from Hacker News

Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

energy-storage.news

121–130 of 307 posts

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> gas supplies in question were not covered by sanctions, but Russia tried to unilaterally switch to being paid in roubles I don’t think this is a very honest characterization: Russia demanded payment on their terms only after they were kicked out of SWIFT and their reserves frozen by foreign banks. I don’t think I’d describe that change in payment terms in response to bank sanctions as “unilateral” or unrelated to s…

"only after they were kicked out of SWIFT and their reserves frozen by foreign banks." This is a response to an invasion of another country. Maybe I'm reading your tone wrong but "only after" seems to imply this was unjustified or at the least had no reason behind it.

I think their point was less to assign blame, but whether or not it was war related.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#122
post #43

> It has a particularly strong use case in Finland which sees long and very cold winters, and was recently cut off from Russian gas supplies over a payments dispute. Well I guess that's one way to characterize war-related sanctions and their side effects.

In a similar vein, I find it quite curious/strange/amazing is that Russian gas has continued to flow through Ukraine during this war. Russia wants the cash and Ukraine does not want to shut off Europe from the gas until Europe does not want the gas to flow. I believe that Russia is still paying Ukraine gas transport fees. Realpolitik in action.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#123
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a German living in a city with mandatory district heating... the end result is to be that people seem pay more for heating than they would with a decentralised system. So, in America, it is very common for hot water tanks to suddenly fail, leaking water everywhere and causing massive amounts of property damage and even creating health hazards through mold. In a not-insane world, all hot water tanks would come wi…

This comment is wrong on many levels. Hot water heaters should last a lot longer, and when they fail it’s probably a faulty thermostat or short. Still, water heaters get a drain pan to catch leaks. Lastly, installing a leak detectors are trivial and common. Your condo may have been a bad install or not installed to code. America moves hot water just fine. EDIT: yes water heaters can fail. Usually due to bad install,…

They leak because the sacrificial anode rod corrodes away. The difference between a 5 year warranty and 12 year warranty water heater is a few inches of metal.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#124
post #8

As an American it completely breaks my expectations that district heating not only works can be more efficient that decentralized heating. The amount of heat lost just moving water from the water heater on one side of the house to the shower on the other is ridiculously high in houses here. The idea that you can insulate well enough to efficiently move heat across a city is amazing to me.

As a German living in a city with mandatory district heating... the end result is to be that people seem pay more for heating than they would with a decentralised system. I think that's mostly due to the high upkeep costs of the system, though, the transmission loss is quite manageable, I think. Of course there are arguments to be made that when accounting for the cost of installing a heating system, and the space it…

Here in Poland we pay much LESS with district heating than decentralized one. If I would have to pay for decentralized heating of my flat, I'd need to use natural gas. But even before nat gas proces went to the moon, it was at least Here in Poland we pay much LESS with district heating than decentralized one 2x more expensive than district heating

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One problem is that people never replace their sacrificial anode. Most people don't even know it exists.

They last as long as the expected tank life these days. Tanks with longer life rating use powered rods.

>They last as long as the expected tank life these days.

Kinda seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy or one could even say planned obsolescence.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#126
post #43

> It has a particularly strong use case in Finland which sees long and very cold winters, and was recently cut off from Russian gas supplies over a payments dispute. Well I guess that's one way to characterize war-related sanctions and their side effects.

In a similar vein, I find it quite curious/strange/amazing is that Russian gas has continued to flow through Ukraine during this war. Russia wants the cash and Ukraine does not want to shut off Europe from the gas until Europe does not want the gas to flow. I believe that Russia is still paying Ukraine gas transport fees. Realpolitik in action.

[deleted]

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#127
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a German living in a city with mandatory district heating... the end result is to be that people seem pay more for heating than they would with a decentralised system. So, in America, it is very common for hot water tanks to suddenly fail, leaking water everywhere and causing massive amounts of property damage and even creating health hazards through mold. In a not-insane world, all hot water tanks would come wi…

Disagree with all of this. Hot water leaks are very rare. Water heater failure usually manifests as cold showers and a quick replacement unit from a plumber. Drain pan with a hose is a more reliable protection than a sensor. Sensors are much more likely to give annoying false positives than to prevent damage; you can see from Rheem discussion forums that they’re not appreciated.

I think the real problem is how susceptible houses in US/Canada (maybe elsewhere) are to water leaks of any sort. Drywall, wood, MDF, insulation, etc., are all immediately destroyed with water in a short amount of time. A typical house lasts for 100 years or more and will likely experience many water leaks of various kinds over the course of its lifetime.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#128
post #8

As an American it completely breaks my expectations that district heating not only works can be more efficient that decentralized heating. The amount of heat lost just moving water from the water heater on one side of the house to the shower on the other is ridiculously high in houses here. The idea that you can insulate well enough to efficiently move heat across a city is amazing to me.

Australian here. The idea that anything can be insulated at all is fucking novel . New construction has minimum standards these days, but that does nothing for the majority of older house which have single glazed window, iron roofs, and no insulation whatsoever and, if you're renting, lucky to have a heat pump. And yeah, no insulation on the hot water piping means massive loses from water heater to tap.

Yup, we got a ways to go. Insulation is simple and cheap. All construction should friggin' max it out.

Double glazing is now not heinously expensive anymore. But still seems to have the Australia Tax.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#129
post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a German living in a city with mandatory district heating... the end result is to be that people seem pay more for heating than they would with a decentralised system. I think that's mostly due to the high upkeep costs of the system, though, the transmission loss is quite manageable, I think. Of course there are arguments to be made that when accounting for the cost of installing a heating system, and the space it…

Here in Poland we pay much LESS with district heating than decentralized one. If I would have to pay for decentralized heating of my flat, I'd need to use natural gas. But even before nat gas proces went to the moon, it was at least Here in Poland we pay much LESS with district heating than decentralized one 2x more expensive than district heating

Polish district heating is mostly coal, hence the cost savings vs imported gas.

Re: Large-scale ‘sand battery’ goes online in Finland

#130
post #8

As an American it completely breaks my expectations that district heating not only works can be more efficient that decentralized heating. The amount of heat lost just moving water from the water heater on one side of the house to the shower on the other is ridiculously high in houses here. The idea that you can insulate well enough to efficiently move heat across a city is amazing to me.

Klamath Falls, OR uses geothermal heat for municipal hot water including warmed sidewalks! https://www.klamathfalls.city/232/Geothermal
Post reply on HN