Pumped thermal energy storage

Pumped thermal energy storage (PTES), also known as pumped heat electricity storage, is one of the promising upcoming technologies for grid-scale electricity storage and mono production of power or multigeneration of power with heat and/ or cold. This chapter will introduce this concept in general and specific configura­tions, present the fundamentals and thermodynamics governing the system opera­tion, and review the scientific state of the art and commercial projects across the world. The chapter will then present a detailed mathematical model of the system for conducting an energy and exergy analysis. These models will be used to assess the performance of a case study PTES employed for stabilizing the power output of a solar PV farm, and the results of the simulations on the case study are pre­sented and discussed to have a better understanding of the system's cyclic opera­tion. In the end, the future prospect of the technology, its main shortcomings compared to alternative existing solutions, its pathway toward commercialization, and future potential research topics on this technology are briefly discussed.