Solar Energy, cilt.209, ss.135-169, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
Industry is one of the leading energy consumers with a
global share of 37%. Fossil fuels are used to meet more than 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.