Review on sensible thermal energy storage for industrial solar applications and sustainability aspects

Abstract Industry is one of the leading energy consumers with a global share of 37%. Fossil fuels are used to meet more then 80% of this demand. The sun’s heat can be exploited in most industrial processes to replace fossil fuels. Integration of a thermal energy storage system is a requisite for sustainability in solar heat for industries. Currently there are only 741 solar heat industrial plants operating with an overall collector area of 662,648 m2 (567 MWth) that cover very small share of total global capacity. This is only the tip of the iceberg- there is a huge potential that is eager to be exploited. The challenges of increasing cost-effective solar heat applications are development of thermal energy storage systems and materials that can deliver this energy at feasible economic value. Sensible thermal energy storage, which is the oldest and most developed, has recently gained interest due to demand for increased sustainability in energy use. This paper attempts to review these latest trends in sensible thermal energy storage systems and materials that are used in solar industrial applications with a special focus on sustainability. The aim is to provide information for further research and development that shall make solar heat a cost-effective method to meet the increasing energy demand of the industrial sector.