Heat Storage for Concentrated Solar Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Concentrating solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy onto a receiver to provide heat to spin a turbine/generator to produce electricity or heat to be used directly in industrial processes. Thermal energy storage (TES) is now considered a key component for concentrated solar power plants, since it separates the power block from the solar field, allowing for electricity production that is independent of the solar resource. Therefore, heat can be stored as thermal energy efficiently and inexpensively for on-demand electricity production when the sun is not shining.

However, the current mature technology based on two tanks of molten salts is not satisfying (limited resource of mined nitrate salts, environment and safety issues) and research efforts are still needed for CSP field development.

Research can concern the various scales involved in TES, for both sensible and latent heat energy storage:

• Materials: new kinds of materials, especially for high-temperature applications (compatibility, interactions, properties, etc.);
• Processes: new architecture and design, intensification and efficiency;
• System: TES integration, operating optimization and TES coupling.

Experimental and numerical/modelling investigations are welcome, within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Quentin Falcoz
Guest Editor

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• Thermal energy storage
• High temperature
• Latent and sensible heat
• TES integration
• Modelling/experimental
• Energy efficiency