What is solar thermal energy storage?

Solar thermal energy storage is used in many applications, from building to concentrating solar power plants and industry. The temperature levels encountered range from ambient temperature to more than 1000 °C, and operating times range from a few hours to several months.

How is thermal energy stored?

Several sensible thermal energy storage technologies have been tested and implemented since 1985. These include the two-tank direct system, two-tank indirect system, and single-tank thermocline system. Solar thermal energy in this system is stored in the same fluid used to collect it.

How is solar energy stored?

The fluid is stored in two tanks—one at high temperature and the other at low temperature. Fluid from the low-temperature tank flows through the solar collector or receiver, where solar energy heats it to a high temperature, and it then flows to the high-temperature tank for storage.

What is CSP and thermal energy storage?

CSP and Thermal Energy Storage  Concentrating solar power uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy onto a receiver to provide heat to spin a turbine/generator to produce electricity  Hot fluid can be stored as thermal energy efficiently and inexpensively for on- demand electricity production when the sun is not shining Commercial CSP Plants

What are the types of thermal energy storage?

Types of Thermal Energy Storage Sensible (single-phase) storage Use temperature difference to store heat Molten salts (nitrates, carbonates, chlorides) Solids storage (ceramic, graphite, concrete) Phase-change materials Use latent heat to store energy (e.g., molten salts, metallic alloys) Thermochemical storage

What are some sources of thermal energy for storage?

Other sources of thermal energy for storage include heat or cold produced with heat pumps from off-peak, lower cost electric power, a practice called peak shaving; heat from combined heat and power (CHP) power plants; heat produced by renewable electrical energy that exceeds grid demand and waste heat from industrial processes.