Solar thermal energy storage project deployment

What is thermal energy storage?

Thermal energy storage (TES) is a critical enabler for the large-scale deployment of renewable energy and transition to a decarbonized building stock and energy system by 2050.

How can solar thermal energy storage improve energy security?

Energy security has major three measures: physical accessibility, economic affordability and environmental acceptability. For regions with an abundance of solar energy, solar thermal energy storage technology offers tremendous potential for ensuring energy security, minimizing carbon footprints, and reaching sustainable development goals.

Why is thermal energy storage important in a CSP system?

In that context, thermal energy storage technology has become an essential part of CSP systems, as it can be seen in Fig. 13, and has been highlighted over this review. Despite the total installed cost for CSP plants with TES tends to be higher than those without, storage also allows higher capacity factors.

Can solar thermal technologies be deployed in South Africa?

Data is scarce on the current deployment of emerging solar thermal technologies (e.g. solar photovoltaic to heat), however markets such as South Africa have already reached 10 MWp since the start of data collection in 2018.

Does solar energy have a 'long term' storage requirement?

Solar energy has a one-day period, meaning that the ‘long term’ storage requirements is based on hours. In that context, thermal energy storage technology has become an essential part of CSP systems, as it can be seen in Fig. 13, and has been highlighted over this review.

What are the emerging solar thermal technologies?

These emerging solar thermal technologies are: Electrical heat storage (including hot water tanks and compact heat stores, both residential scale and district heating scale) using the power from solar photovoltaics (on-site and/or off-site).