\t\t\tTypes of thermal energy storage\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although applications of this type of storage are centuries old, it has always been used to release the same type of energy it contained: heat or cold. The complexity of implementing it, especially in large projects, arises when instead of seeking to utilise that residual heat, it needs to be transformed into electricity. Here is where the technology needs more time and investment to mature properly. However, advances are being made and there are already several types of thermal energy storage:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tSensitive heat storage (SHS): stores heat in materials such as water or molten salts, widely used in solar thermal plants. Here, the change in temperature in these materials reflects the amount of energy stored.\u00a0
\n\tLatent heat storage (LHS): uses materials that absorb and release energy through a phase change, from solid to liquid, for example. \u00a0
\n\tThermo-chemical heat storage (TCHS): its operation is based on reversible chemical reactions that store or release heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We can also divide them accord by their operating temperature:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tLow: from sub-zero temperatures to approximately 100\u00b0C. A representative example of this type is aquifers for storing hot water.\u00a0
\n\tMedium: around 300\u00b0C.\u00a0
\n\tHigh: storing up to 1,000\u00b0C. Molten salt tanks, like those containing a mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate, whose usual operating range is between 285-565\u00b0C.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Materials used in thermal storage\u00a0<\/p>\n
Water is one of the raw materials that has been used for the longest time for thermal storage (both cold and hot). However, molten salts are one of the most common materials for large-scale applications thanks to their availability and ease of recycling. \u00a0<\/p>\n
There are also projects that use sand, stones, concrete or ceramics for their heat absorption and release properties. Research into the use of thermo-chemical materials is also on the rise, as they are expected to increase energy densities tenfold, according to CIC EnergiGUNE.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Advantages to thermal storage\u00a0<\/p>\n
Using this type of storage has many advantages when it comes to expanding the use of sustainably generated energy. And although not as widespread a technology as batteries or mechanical storage, the market is investing in its development because:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tLike all energy storage systems, it reduces dependence on fossil fuels and contributes to the better performance and stability of the electricity grid.\u00a0
\n\tIt reduces industry\u2019s operating costs. By harnessing waste heat and reusing it, energy costs are reduced.\u00a0
\n\tIt can store energy for long periods of time.\u00a0
\n\tIt\u2019s versatile. It can store energy in the form of heat for later use or convert it into electricity.\u00a0
\n\tHighly scalable and adaptable, especially in large-scale projects.\u00a0
\n\tThe initial investment is high, but the operating cost is low, especially when using molten salts or latent storage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Main uses of thermal storage\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given this technology\u2019s still immature implementation, its uses are not yet widespread. However, the most common use in storing renewable energy production is to place the heat generated in solar thermal power plants, especially by using molten salts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Water-based storage systems can be used as heating systems for buildings, homes and residential areas, and for domestic hot water. This is the most widespread use of this technology because the heat delivery efficiency is very high, higher than if a battery were used.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although it is not used to store surplus renewable energy, there are applications of this type of technology for building insulation, which contributes to indoor temperature regulation and, with it, energy savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From an optimisation perspective, using thermal storage to use and release heat is the most advisable. This is because current technology has not managed to prevent most of the stored energy from being lost: it only efficiently converts 30 to 40% of that heat energy into electricity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Batteries vs. thermal storage: a comparative analysis\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although these two technologies have similar advantages, their applications may vary. Batteries or BESS systems are more technologically advanced and more widely used in renewable energy, but their use has limitations. Maintenance costs, maximum storage capacity and life cycle, combined with the complexity of manufacturing and recycling batteries, are hampering their growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thermal storage is very promising for storing heat energy, but the market is not yet mature enough. However, it has enormous potential due to its scalability, modularity, low maintenance and durability.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Types of thermal energy storage\u00a0 Although applications of this type of storage are centuries old, it has always…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[146],"class_list":{"0":"post-17710","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iberdrola","8":"tag-iberdrola"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}