Thermal Energy Storage in Concentrating Solar Power Plants: A Review of European and North American R&amp;D Projects

Pascual, Sara; Lisbona, Pilar; Romeo, Luis M.

doi:10.3390/en15228570

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 108 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The energy density of 220-450 MJ/kg is lower than some other TES systems, such as metal alloys, regardless of the high temperatures (600-1000 • C). Nevertheless, such systems can achieve a high efficiency of up to 97%, which is due to the high thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of the molten salt [75].…”

Section: Latent Heatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Energy Harnessing Technologies towards De-Carbonization: A Systematic Review of Processes and Systems

Nikolaidis

2023

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Solar energy, derived from the inexhaustible energy of the sun, has emerged as a promising solution to mitigate the environmental challenges posed by fossil fuel consumption and global climate change. This work explores the underlying principles of solar energy exploitation, focusing on energy collection technologies as the primary means of solar energy conversion. The physics of the state-of-the-art mechanisms, the photovoltaic effect, and the advancements that have driven the transformation of solar energy into a viable and sustainable alternative energy source are also examined. Through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and pioneering research, this study highlights the immense potential of solar energy and its role in shaping a cleaner, greener future. Towards de-carbonization, the various exploitation technologies are divided into direct and indirect in order to optimize resource utilization. Accounting for the most important advantages presented, solar-based utilization processes are perhaps the only ones that provide access to energy for all to satisfy their vital needs. As nations continue to embrace solar energy and invest in its development, we move closer to achieving a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world for generations to come.

show abstract

Section: Latent Heatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Energy Harnessing Technologies towards De-Carbonization: A Systematic Review of Processes and Systems

Nikolaidis

2023

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, because of its intermittent and unstable supply, it is necessary to develop low-cost TES materials and efficient thermal storage technology. Concentrating solar power (CSP) containing TES materials has become a significant environmentally friendly technology for harvesting the energy of the sun to generate electricity [6][7][8][9][10]. As is well known, molten salt is currently the most widespread and most mature TES materials in CSP systems due to its good thermal properties (wide working temperature range, moderate density, low viscosity, high thermal conductivity and large heat capacity), low cost and non-toxicity [11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel Wide-Working-Temperature NaNO3-KNO3-Na2SO4 Molten Salt for Solar Thermal Energy Storage

Wang,

Li,

Zhong

et al. 2024

Molecules

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A novel ternary eutectic salt, NaNO3-KNO3-Na2SO4 (TMS), was designed and prepared for thermal energy storage (TES) to address the issues of the narrow temperature range and low specific heat of solar salt molten salt. The thermo-physical properties of TMS-2, such as melting point, decomposition temperature, fusion enthalpy, density, viscosity, specific heat capacity and volumetric thermal energy storage capacity (ETES), were determined. Furthermore, a comparison of the thermo-physical properties between commercial solar salt and TMS-2 was carried out. TMS-2 had a melting point 6.5 °C lower and a decomposition temperature 38.93 °C higher than those of solar salt. The use temperature range of TMS molten salt was 45.43 °C larger than that of solar salt, which had been widened about 13.17%. Within the testing temperature range, the average specific heat capacity of TMS-2 (1.69 J·K−1·g−1) was 9.03% higher than that of solar salt (1.55 J·K−1·g−1). TMS-2 also showed higher density, slightly higher viscosity and higher ETES. XRD, FTIR and Raman spectra SEM showed that the composition and structure of the synthesized new molten salt were different, which explained the specific heat capacity increasing. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was performed to explore the different macroscopic properties of solar salt and TMS at the molecular level. The MD simulation results suggested that cation–cation and cation–anion interactions became weaker as the temperature increased and the randomness of molecular motion increased, which revealed that the interaction between the cation cluster and anion cluster became loose. The stronger interaction between Na-SO4 cation–anion clusters indicated that TMS-2 molten salt had a higher specific heat capacity than solar salt. The result of the thermal stability analysis indicated that the weight losses of solar salt and TMS-2 at 550 °C were only 27% and 53%, respectively. Both the simulation and experimental study indicated that TMS-2 is a promising candidate fluid for solar power generation systems.

show abstract

“…In a study presented by the authors of (Pascual et al, 2022), various salts were examined for their use in energy storage. Molten salt typically refers to solid salt at standard temperature and pressure (STP) but becomes liquid when heated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This stored heat is then utilized at night for continued plant operation. Using a heat exchanger, the heat from the molten salt is transferred to water, creating steam to power the turbine for electricity generation (Pascual et al, 2022;Guccione and Guedez, 2023;Linares et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-adaptive heat extraction controller for solar thermal tower operational with molten salt tanks

Ahmed,

Guanghua,

Akram

et al. 2023

Front. Energy Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Molten salts are commonly used in solar thermal power plants to store heat when sunlight is unavailable. However, solidifying the salts can lead to operational interruptions and prevent an optimal energy output. A self-adaptive heat extraction method has been proposed to regulate salt pipeline temperatures, enabling continuous operations that mitigate unplanned shut-downs. Such a method focuses on maintaining operational temperatures and preventing interferences caused by the freezing of the salts. The proposed Self-Adaptive Heat Extraction Controller (SAHEC) relies on fuzzy logic integrated into MATLAB Simulink to ensure optimal heat extraction control utilizing four distinct temperature variables. Modeling this approach through a created MATLAB-based simulation reveals that SAHEC offers an undeniable improvement over standard conventional methods for manipulating temperatures.

show abstract

Thermal Energy Storage in Concentrating Solar Power Plants: A Review of European and North American R&D Projects

Cited by 14 publications

References 108 publications

Solar Energy Harnessing Technologies towards De-Carbonization: A Systematic Review of Processes and Systems

Solar Energy Harnessing Technologies towards De-Carbonization: A Systematic Review of Processes and Systems

Novel Wide-Working-Temperature NaNO3-KNO3-Na2SO4 Molten Salt for Solar Thermal Energy Storage

Self-adaptive heat extraction controller for solar thermal tower operational with molten salt tanks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About