Chapter 3: Sensible Thermal Energy Storage Materials

In sensible thermal energy storage, a material increases its temperature when storing heat. The amount of energy stored is proportional to the specific heat of the material, the amount of material and the temperature change. Materials are usually classified according to their state—solid or liquid—and can be used for many applications, although today they are mainly used in building applications and in high-temperature applications such as industrial heat recovery and concentrating solar power plants. This chapter lists the materials mostly used in sensible TES as well as discussing their properties.