Heat Pipe Concept in Energy Storage Systems
Introduction
The world today has an ongoing demand for more energy that is also cleaner and more environmentally friendly. The use of distributed generation (DG) and renewable energy sources (RES) is becoming more widespread to meet this need. Integrating these energy sources into the electricity grid can help reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. However, the output from these sources can be less reliable and less flexible in meeting changes in demand compared to traditional power sources. To fully utilize the potential of these new energy sources, energy storage is crucial to ensure their reliability as primary energy sources. [1*]
Recent projections predict that primary energy consumption will rise by 48% in 2040. On the other hand, the depletion of fossil resources and their negative impact on the environment has accelerated the shift toward sustainable energy sources. Renewable energies such as solar radiation, ocean waves, wind, and biogas have played a significant role in reforming the natural balance and providing the needs of the growing population. However, due to the climatic vagaries, storing these types of renewable energy has become urgent. This has led to a need to develop efficient and sustainable energy storage methods. Energy storage has become an essential part of renewable energy technology systems. Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is a technology that stocks thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium to be used later for heating and cooling applications and power generation. TES systems are used mainly in buildings and industrial processes. The advantages of using TES in an energy system include increased overall efficiency and better reliability. It can lead to better economics, reductions in investment and running costs, and less pollution of the environment, i.e., fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Unlike photovoltaic systems striving for efficiencies, solar thermal systems are industrially mature and utilize a significant part of the Sun’s thermal energy during the day. Yet, it does not have enough (thermal) backup to continue operating during the low or no solar radiation hours. TES is becoming particularly important for electricity storage in combination with concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, where solar heat can be stored for electricity production when sunlight is unavailable. New materials are selected, characterized, and enhanced in their thermo-physical properties to serve the purpose of a 24 h operation in an efficient TES system. In Europe, it has been estimated that around 1.4 million GWh/year can be saved and 400 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided in buildings and industrial sectors by more extensive use of heat and cold storage [2*].
Introducing the concept of Heat Pipes in energy storage systems will lead to finding new technical solutions in this field.
[1] Ioannis Hadjipaschalis; Andreas Poullikkas; Venizelos Efthimiou “Overview of current and future energy storage technologies for electric power applications” (Overview of current and future energy storage technologies for electric power applications – ScienceDirect)
[2*] Ioan Sarbu, Calin Serbarchievici “A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Energy Storage” (The entire paper is here)