Latent heat storage for concentrating solar power

Abstract

Due to the rising threat of climate change, there has been a significant effort to expand clean electricity generation from renewable resources - primarily solar photovoltaics and wind power. However, these resources provide variable generation that depends on when the sun shines and when the wind blows. To be effectively integrated into electric grids, this variable generation then needs complementary technologies that could enable continued growth. One potential enabling technology, concentrating solar power, is particularly attractive due to its ability to incorporate inexpensive thermal energy storage. Many different specific embodiments of concentrating solar power are still being considered, though significant recent attention has been given to systems using latent heat storage. These systems store thermal energy in the phase change of a material, which is an isothermal process that can reach high energy density and potentially low storage cost. To implement these theoretical advantages in practice, several aspects of latent heat storage for concentrating solar power are still being developed. Much of the focus has been on phase change material development, including integration of these materials into effective thermal storage subsystems and overall system designs. As a part of this growing field, in this thesis I have provided contributions in design, modeling, and experimental demonstration of latent heat storage systems with the end goal of widespread deployment of concentrating solar power technology.