Could Sand Be the New Lithium?, an article in The Washington Post written by Shira Rubins, asks — and pretty well answers — this question. The answer is “Maybe”.
The article points out that traditional small-scale climate control was achieved by living in houses with thick, dense walls that collected the heat of the day and radiated that heat in the cool of the nights. The same effect is being achieved on a larger scale by start-ups storing the heat (energy) generated by wind and solar power in sand, liquefied salt, rocks, and more. (Read the article for details.)
Natural batteries are meant to enable countries to take advantage of prodigious supplies coming from wind turbines and solar panels, when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
— Washington Post, August 24, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. EDT
Kewl! Mother may survive us, after all.
Dan Antion
August 25, 2023 at 8:12amIt will be an amazing day when we realize the answer might be as simple as the dirt under our feet. And nature will survive us, but she may have to get rid of us to do it.
Marian Allen
August 25, 2023 at 9:53amIt wouldn’t be the first mass extinction.
Dan Antion
August 25, 2023 at 7:05pmNot how I wanted this ride to end
John Hric
August 30, 2023 at 10:12amWe just need to get our stuff together before the amply endowed lady sings… or the ride will end for us…
Marian Allen
August 30, 2023 at 10:45amSad, but true.