Thermal Energy Storage with Phase Change Materials in Solar Combisystems – a Promising Solution?
Abstract
Solar combisystems for space heating and domestic hot water (DHW) preparation mostly use a water tank for the storage of solar energy. In systems that are to achieve a high solar fraction relatively large water volumes are necessary. Alternative storage technologies such as phase change materials (PCM) and thermochemical materials (TCM) are a topic of research since many years, as they promise a higher storage capacity in comparison to the sensible storage of heat in water. Especially PCM technologies are claimed to be near to the market and there are already commercial products available.