Abstract: The usage of renewable and clean solar energy is expanding at a rapid pace. Applications of thermal energy storage (TES) facility within the solar power field enables dispatch ability within the generation of electricity and residential space heating requirements. It helps mitigate the intermittence issue with an energy source like solar power. TES also helps in smoothing out fluctuations in energy demand during different time periods of the day. During this paper, a summary of varied solar thermal energy storage materials and thermal energy storage systems that are currently in use is presented. The properties of solar thermal energy storage materials are discussed and analyzed. The dynamic performances of solar thermal energy storage systems in recent investigations are presented and summarized. Storage methods can be classified into categories according to capacity and discharge time. New developments in solar energy storage require advances in chemical engineering and materials science. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an important tool to evaluate energy consumption and the environmental impact of renewable energy processes. LCAs of some of the storage methods are reviewed. It is important to note that, while using renewable energy sources such as solar power, storage methods based on non-recyclable materials or methods that consume significant amounts of energy may undermine the effort to reduce energy consumption.
Keywords: Solar energy, Thermal energy storage, Phase change materials (PCM), Thermal performance, Life cycle assessment.