Molten salt energy storage can effectively store thermal energy for durations ranging from several days up to weeks or even months, depending on the system design and insulation quality.
- According to standard concentrated solar power implementations, molten salt is typically kept in insulated tanks, where it can retain useful thermal energy for up to a week with proper insulation. These systems operate by heating molten salt to high temperatures (around 565 °C) in solar collectors, then storing it in hot tanks. The heat is later converted to steam to drive turbines for electricity generation.
- Some sources extend this potential, stating molten salt can store energy for weeks or even months without significant thermal losses, making it a promising solution for balancing longer-term intermittency in solar and wind power generation.
- Storage efficiency of molten salt thermal energy is high, between 90% and 99%, with daily heat loss typically around 1 to 5%. This low loss rate supports longer storage durations.
- The capability to hold heat over extended periods contrasts with batteries, which degrade over time and have more limited storage duration.
- However, molten salt batteries (electrochemical storage) operate differently and require maintaining the salt in a molten state at constant high temperatures (250-300 °C), with significant warm-up times (10-11 hours) before operation. Their practical backup times in these cases are typically 2 to 10 hours, focusing on electricity storage rather than thermal storage.
In summary, for thermal energy storage applications, molten salt can effectively store energy for up to about a week under commercial concentrated solar power conditions and potentially for multiple weeks or months in well-designed, larger-scale systems with excellent insulation and heat management. This makes molten salt thermal storage a viable medium for seasonal or multi-day energy storage in renewable energy systems.
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