Annex 24

Material Development for Improved Thermal Energy Storage Systems

For the performance of thermal energy storage systems their thermal energy and power density are crucial. Both criteria are strongly depending, beside other factors, on the materials used in the systems. This can be the storage medium itself, but also materials responsible for the heat (and mass) transfer or for the insulation of the storage container. After a number of thermal energy storage technologies have reached the state of prototypes or demonstration systems a further improvement is necessary to bring theses systems into the market. The development of improved materials for TES systems is an appropriate way to achieve this. The material solutions have to be cost effective at the same time. Otherwise the state of the existing technologies can not be brought closer to the market. The world wide R&D activities on novel materials for TES applications are not sufficiently linked at the moment. A lot of projects are focusing on the material problems related to their special application and not towards a wider approach for TES in general. The proposed Annex should help to bundle the ongoing R&D activities in the different TES technologies.