Case Hiedanranta

Polar Night Energy’s 3 MWh test pilot project in Hiedanranta, Tampere, represents a significant step in thermal energy storage technology. Launched in the winter of 2020–2021, this pilot is connected to the local district heating network and can provide heat for couple of buildings.

The pilot allowed for testing, validation, and optimization of our heat storage solution. Energy for the pilot comes from a 100-square-meter solar panel array and the electric grid. Key outcomes from the pilot include:

• The largest observed discrepancy between our model and real-world measurements was just 3%.
• We explored various methods of heat transfer, all of which functioned as intended.
• Our heat transfer method has been patented.

City officials’ comments on the project:

“Polar Night Energy’s solution is an excellent example of electric-thermal sector integration. It is especially potential for helping the energy system over windless cold weeks. And with low emissions. ” – Tuomas Vanhanen, Project Manager, The City of Tampere

“Preliminary results from Polar Night Energy’s test pilot have been promising. We are looking forward to the results that PNE will now get when the stored energy has been genuinely used in the area’s district heating network.” – Reijo Väliharju, Head of Infrastructure, Sustainability & Innovation, Hiedanrannan Kehitys Oy

The historic factory community in Tampere’s Hiedanranta is evolving into a modern, sustainable city district. Hiedanrannan Kehitys Oy, a company owned by the City of Tampere, is responsible for developing the area’s land and buildings.