Materials commonly used in thermal energy storage systems include:
Sensible Heat Storage
- Water: This is one of the most common and cost-effective materials for storing thermal energy, particularly for applications between 4°C and 100°C. It has a high specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity.
- Molten Salts: Used in solar thermal power plants, these salts can store energy at high temperatures and are widely implemented in systems like those at the Solana Generating Station and Gemasolar Thermosolar.
- Rocks and Sand: Inexpensive and readily available, these materials are often used in sensible heat storage systems, especially for air-based solar heating systems.
- Oils: Mineral, synthetic, and vegetable oils are used for medium to high-temperature applications due to their good thermal properties.
Latent Heat Storage
- Phase Change Materials (PCMs): These materials, such as Glauber’s salt, store energy by changing state (solid to liquid) and are useful where space is limited or a constant temperature is desired.
- Ice: Used for cooling applications, ice is produced at off-peak hours and melted during peak hours to provide cooling.
Thermochemical Energy Storage
- Metal Oxides: Materials like cobalt oxide are being researched for their high reaction enthalpies and wide operating temperatures.
- Miscibility Gap Alloys: These alloys involve encapsulating a phase-changing metal within another immiscible metal, offering high thermal conductivity.
Each type of material has its own advantages and is selected based on the specific application requirements.
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