A Review on Thermal Energy Storage Unit for Solar Thermal Power Plant Application

Abstract

In the present scenario of a huge energy demand, dependency on fossil fuels only, certainly creates crisis in future especially for developing country. Although renewable resources of energy like solar energy is being utilized on a broad scale now a days but the problem comes in law and economy i.e. social and acceptability. Main reasons of this kind of difficulties are low density of solar radiation on earth's surface and if it is available then fluctuating in nature with time of the day and the day of the year. To remove these kinds of difficulties solar energy storage unit must be introduced in solar thermal power application. In this paper, literatures on thermal energy storage unit with phase change material has been rigorously studied to select the best suitable PCMs and materials for the design of test bench of the thermal energy storage unit. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.