Climate & Environment
Thermal Energy Storage
Storing heat or cold for later use — in water tanks, molten salt, ice or the ground — the quiet workhorse of energy flexibility.
Definition
Thermal energy storage captures heat or cold for use at a different time, in three forms: sensible heat storage (hot water tanks, molten salts in concentrating solar power, district heating accumulators), latent storage (phase-change materials, ice storage for cooling), and thermochemical storage. Applications span solar-thermal power after sunset, district heating and cooling balancing, industrial heat, and shifting building cooling loads off peak.
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