Chapter 7 - Solar thermal energy storage

Abstract

In the current scenario of enormous demand for energy, reliance on fossil fuels alone is definitely causing future crises, particularly for developing countries. Although renewable energy options, such as solar energy, are used on a large scale, there are questions about the economy and the social acceptability of these options. If we want to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and also to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, the roles of solar thermal energy storage systems are critical. In industrial and domestic applications, various types of solar thermal storage are used. For the implementation of this technology, analysis of design and observation of efficiency of a solar thermal storage is very critical. The materials used here may have various thermal properties, but the limitations of different materials must be understood. Sometimes, numerical analysis is useful in selecting materials and building a solar thermal storage system.