Technical Challenges and Their Solutions for Integration of Sensible Thermal Energy Storage with Concentrated Solar Power Applications—a Review

Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses solar insolation to increase the temperature of heat transfer fluid (HTF), which can be used in a power block to produce power either by using a steam turbine or gas turbine. In CSP, the levelized cost of electricity is higher than conventional sources due to the intermittent nature of solar energy. The levelized cost of electricity can be reduced by integrating CSP with thermal energy storage (TES) system. This paper comprehensively reviews sensible thermal energy storage technologies for concentrated solar power applications. It includes a brief discussion of various sensible heat TES systems, i.e., two-tank molten salt TES system, single-media TES system, and dual-media TES systems. Recent advances in the TES system show that dual-media thermocline is economically more viable as compared to others. However, it has a few technical challenges like a mechanical failure due to thermal ratcheting and varying outlet temperature. Additionally, the review presented here is useful in thermodynamic modeling of the TES system using various heat transfer models.