Comparative LCA Between Current and Alternative Waste-Based TES for CSP

Alternative thermal energy storage (TES) materials are needed for the expected worldwide deployment of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, and they should meet related criterion of technical, economical and ecological performances. This paper aims to quantify the environmental footprint of an alternative recycled ceramic made from industrial wastes by performing a comparative life cycle analysis. Compared to the conventional CSP TES technology based upon the two tank molten salt technique, the environmental impacts of the storage unit using recycled ceramics from industrial wastes are reduced by 40 % in terms of potential climate change, 30 % in primary energy demand and 60 % in water consumption. Those impacts are calculated for a scope of recycled ceramics promoting the use of secondary raw material and for which the inerting process is attached to the upstream lifecycle. If included, the energy payback time of the storage remains below 3 years before about 25–30 years of expected use. Such a low payback time represents a strong advantage toward further encouraging high added-value recovery, an issue which is often strongly constrained by its economical and environmental concerns.