New database of sustainable solid particle materials to perform a material-based design for a thermal energy storage in concentrating solar power

Renewable energies have surged worldwide, aiming to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Concentrated solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage (TES) emerges as a viable alternative to bridge the gap between renewable energy generation and consumption. However, existing CSP plants face a significant challenge in optimizing performance due to the operational temperature limitations of solar salt. While alternative materials, such as solid particles for sensible heat storage in solar towers exceeding 600 °C, have been proposed, the crucial aspect revolves around selecting a new alternative sustainable low-cost material for use as a TES media. This article investigates the optimization of CSP-TES systems by evaluating alternative sustainable low-cost materials sourced from several sectors such as the mining or metallurgical industry, municipal solid wastes, or demolition wastes. The materials, either used in their original form or formulated into aggregates for mortars, underwent thorough a property comparison focused on thermal, physical properties, and cost. With this data, a database was created using the Constructor software from ANSYS and integrated with the Selector software from the same company that provides instrumental for the creation of a comprehensive repository of sustainable materials, providing a database that serves as a practical reference guide for optimizing the selection of sustainable materials as TES in CSP plants. Then, a baseline could be established for selecting a sustainable material for a specific design, considering the properties of the materials. This methodology consists of redesigning and adapting the system according to the material, and it is known as the Materials-Based Design (MBD) process.