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Review

Mobile Thermal Energy Storage—A Review and Analysis in the Context of Waste Heat Recovery

Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2025, 18(15), 4136; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154136
Submission received: 16 June 2025 / Revised: 31 July 2025 / Accepted: 1 August 2025 / Published: 4 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highly Efficient Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Technologies)

Abstract

The global energy transition and increasingly rigorous legal regulations aimed at climate protection are driving the search for alternative energy sources, including renewable energy sources (RESs) and waste heat. However, the mismatch between supply and demand presents a significant challenge. Thermal energy storage (TES) technologies, particularly mobile thermal energy storage (M-TES), offer a potential solution to address this gap. M-TES can not only balance supply and demand but also facilitate the transportation of heat from the source to the recipient. This paper reviews the current state of M-TES technologies, focusing on their technology readiness level, key operating parameters, and advantages and disadvantages. It is found that M-TES can be based on sensible heat, latent heat, or thermochemical reactions, with the majority of research and projects centered around latent heat storage. Regarding the type of research, significant progress has been made at the laboratory and simulation levels, while real-world implementation remains limited, with few pilot projects and commercially available systems. Despite the limited number of real-world M-TES implementations, currently existing M-TES systems can store up to 5.4 MWh in temperatures ranging from 58 °C to as high as 1300 °C. These findings highlight the potential of the M-TES and offer data for technology selection, simultaneously indicating the research gaps and future research directions.
Keywords: energy efficiency; latent heat; mobile thermal energy storage; phase change materials; sensible heat; waste heat energy efficiency; latent heat; mobile thermal energy storage; phase change materials; sensible heat; waste heat

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kuta, M.; Mlonka-Mędrala, A.; Radomska, E.; Gołdasz, A. Mobile Thermal Energy Storage—A Review and Analysis in the Context of Waste Heat Recovery. Energies 2025, 18, 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154136

AMA Style

Kuta M, Mlonka-Mędrala A, Radomska E, Gołdasz A. Mobile Thermal Energy Storage—A Review and Analysis in the Context of Waste Heat Recovery. Energies. 2025; 18(15):4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154136

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kuta, Marta, Agata Mlonka-Mędrala, Ewelina Radomska, and Andrzej Gołdasz. 2025. "Mobile Thermal Energy Storage—A Review and Analysis in the Context of Waste Heat Recovery" Energies 18, no. 15: 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154136

APA Style

Kuta, M., Mlonka-Mędrala, A., Radomska, E., & Gołdasz, A. (2025). Mobile Thermal Energy Storage—A Review and Analysis in the Context of Waste Heat Recovery. Energies, 18(15), 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154136

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