Heat storage material: a hope in solar thermal

Solar energy is a vast renewable energy source, but uncertainty in the demand and supply of energy due to various geographical regions raises a question mark. Therefore, the present manuscript includes a review to overcome this uncertainty by utilizing various thermal energy storage systems. Phase change material is the most preferred thermal energy storage system because of its high-energy storage density. The low thermal conductivity is the critical problem in phase change material that can be overcome by integrating metallic foam, carbon fiber, and metallic fins in the phase change material container. The inclusion of metallic foam limited to 0.1-3% of the Phase change material (PCM) weight leads to a slight change in thermal conductivity but a high cost. It was also seen that the addition of carbon 0.1 to 9% of the PCM weight could improve the performance of PCM. The inclusion of a metallic fin improves the thermal conductivity with the various shapes and sizes of the fin. It is found that metallic foam composites have better performance than carbon composite and metallic fin inclusion.

Automated summary

This study explores the uncertainty in the demand and supply of solar energy due to different geographical regions and proposes the utilization of various thermal energy storage systems to overcome this issue. Phase change materials (PCMs) are preferred for their high-energy storage density, although their low thermal conductivity is a challenge. To address this, metallic foam, carbon fiber, and metallic fins are integrated into the PCM container. The inclusion of metallic foam, limited to 0.1-3% of the PCM weight, slightly impacts thermal conductivity but increases costs. Additionally, adding carbon at 0.1-9% of the PCM weight improves PCM performance. The inclusion of metallic fins enhances thermal conductivity, with different shapes and sizes. Studies indicate that metallic foam composites outperform carbon composites and metallic fins.