Metal hydrides for concentrating solar thermal power energy storage

The development of alternative methods for thermal energy storage is important for improving the efficiency and decreasing the cost for Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP). We focus on the underlying technology that allows metal hydrides to function as Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems and highlight the current state-of-the-art materials that can operate at temperatures as low as room-temperature and as high as 1100 oC. The potential of metal hydrides for thermal storage is explored while current knowledge gaps about hydride properties, such as hydride thermodynamics, intrinsic kinetics and cyclic stability, are identified. The engineering challenges associated with utilising metal hydrides for high-temperature thermal energy storage are also addressed

On the Sn-loss from thin films of the material system Cu-Zn-Sn-S in high vacuum

In this paper the Sn loss from thin films of the material system Cu Zn Sn S and the sub systems Cu Sn S and Sn S in high vacuum is investigated. A combination of in situ X ray diffractometry XRD and X ray fluorescence XRF at a synchrotron light source allowed identifying phases which tend to decompose and evaporate a Sn containing compound. On the basis of the XRF results a quantification of the Sn loss from the films during annealing experiments is presented. It can be shown that the evaporation rate from the different phases is decreasing according to the order SnS amp; 8594;Cu2SnS3 amp; 8594;Cu4SnS4 amp; 8594;Cu2ZnSnS4. The Phase SnS is assigned as the evaporating compound. The influence of an additional inert gas component on the Sn loss and on the formation of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films is discusse