Thermal energy storage materials and systems for solar energy applications

Abstract Usage of renewable and clean solar energy is expanding at a rapid pace. Applications of thermal energy storage (TES) facility in solar energy field enable dispatchability in generation of electricity and home space heating requirements. It helps mitigate the intermittence issue with an energy source like solar energy. TES also helps in smoothing out fluctuations in energy demand during different time periods of the day. In this paper, a summary of various solar thermal energy storage materials and thermal energy storage systems that are currently in use is presented. The properties of solar thermal energy storage materials are discussed and analyzed. The dynamic performances of solar thermal energy storage systems in recent investigations are also presented and summarized.