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Sustainability
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Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Optimizing Thermal Design in Energy Storage...
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Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Optimizing Thermal Design in Energy Storage Systems—2nd Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 2011

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhi Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: waste heat recovery; thermal energy storage; thermal management; thermo-electrochemical systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yonghong Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Electrical Engineering School, Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing 100192, China
Interests: compressed air energy storage; battery management system; waste heat recovery; hybrid electric vehicle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various energy storage technologies can mitigate the fluctuations and intermittence of renewable energies and provide cleaner energy to the population, contributing to achieving the goals of SDG7. Rapid development and significant advances have been reported in energy storage technologies in recent years. To further extend the advantages of energy storage technologies and achieve a more sustainable society, enhancing energy efficiency and optimizing thermal design in energy storage systems are two of the most important technical routes, and they have been widely investigated worldwide. In view of this, this Special Issue aims to provide a temporary platform for the dissemination of knowledge and solutions regarding energy storage systems from the aspects of enhancing energy efficiency and optimizing thermal design. We welcome the submission of original research articles, review articles, and other papers. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Thermal energy storage;
  • Electrochemical energy storage;
  • Compressed air energy storage;
  • Hydrogen energy storage;
  • Multi-scale composite energy storage;
  • Renewable energy utilization;
  • Heat-to-electricity technologies;
  • Thermal management of energy storage systems;
  • Distributed energy systems;

Other energy storage technologies.

Dr. Zhi Li
Dr. Yonghong Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermal energy storage
  • electrochemical energy storage
  • compressed air energy storage
  • multi-scale composite energy storage systems
  • energy efficiency
  • thermal management

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2247 KB  
Article
Energy and Performance Analysis of a Novel Near-Isothermal Pneumatic Compressed Air Energy Storage System
by Abdellah Ouhda, Abderrahim El Fadili and Monssif Najim
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5030; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105030 - 16 May 2026
Viewed by 268
Abstract
Today, renewable energy is receiving increasing global attention. However, the operation of such energy systems is associated with several challenges, including natural uncertainty and intermittency at different times of the day. Furthermore, to overcome these challenges, there is an increasing interest in developing [...] Read more.
Today, renewable energy is receiving increasing global attention. However, the operation of such energy systems is associated with several challenges, including natural uncertainty and intermittency at different times of the day. Furthermore, to overcome these challenges, there is an increasing interest in developing energy storage systems. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is considered a promising, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology. The present study proposes a novel CAES system distinct from conventional designs. The proposed storage system can store energy by feeding the excess electrical energy to a motor to drive a large-diameter piston to compress and store air in a container. Then, the energy is extracted when needed by releasing the piston to drive the generator back. This study evaluates the feasibility via a thermodynamic model of all components. We examine the effects of (i) piston speed and piston-air volume ratio, (ii) initial pressure, and (iii) container volume. We also assess how container volume scales with the maintained initial pressure. Results are compared against an adiabatic baseline. The results demonstrate that near-isothermal compression/expansion can improve energy density and storage efficiency by generating two times more recoverable work than the adiabatic in the same volume, and an efficiency of 76% can be reached, while the realistic efficiency achieves around 50%. It also shows that the volume of the container for an amount of energy depends on the initial pressure maintained before the charging cycle. As a result, when the initial pressure increases, the volume of the container required decreases, and for the same volume, the results show that more energy can be stored by maintaining the initial pressure. Therefore, this system could be considered an attractive solution to the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Optimizing Thermal Design in Energy Storage Systems—2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 572 KB  
Article
Energy Storage as a Tool to Increase the Security and Energy Efficiency of Household Electricity in North-Western Poland in the Sustainable Management of Micro-Installation Potential
by Ewa Chomać-Pierzecka, Sebastian Zupok, Jolanta Stec-Rusiecka, Bartosz Błaszczak and Stefan Dyrka
Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 3033; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18063033 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 422
Abstract
Small-scale prosumer installations are playing an increasingly important role in the Polish electricity sector. These primarily include photovoltaic systems and heat pumps installed for internal use. Noticeable losses for individual investors, generated by the power flow mechanism during peak production hours (connection to [...] Read more.
Small-scale prosumer installations are playing an increasingly important role in the Polish electricity sector. These primarily include photovoltaic systems and heat pumps installed for internal use. Noticeable losses for individual investors, generated by the power flow mechanism during peak production hours (connection to the grid) and peak demand (drawback from the grid), as well as the issue of fluctuating grid capacity and the observed redispatch procedures for photovoltaic installations, are driving increased interest in equipping home energy installations with energy storage systems, strengthening the aspect of sustainable energy development in this dimension. The impact of energy storage on investment motivation and the actual effects of incorporating it into home energy installations have not yet been sufficiently researched, particularly in Poland. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the use of energy storage in home installations as a socio-technical direction of power development at the micro level, in light of the constantly increasing energy demand observed worldwide in line with the challenges of sustainable development. The results of a survey of 206 individual users of power installations equipped with energy storage systems in Poland were used for this study. The research was qualitative and quantitative in nature, with descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model used in the in-depth section, and the findings were supported by PQStat software. The research revealed that the selection of energy storage systems in home power grids is related to the potential for prosumer optimization. On the other hand, they are seen as a path towards increasing energy security at the household level. Supporting this direction of installation development at the micro level is a justified concept for the development of green energy in Poland, socially and environmentally beneficial as well as economically justified, i.e., in line with the trend of sustainable development. The information campaign, combined with financial support for this type of investment, should be continued and strengthened in Poland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Optimizing Thermal Design in Energy Storage Systems—2nd Edition)
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Review

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27 pages, 2154 KB  
Review
Modern Energy Storage Methods and Technologies: Comparison, Case Study and Analysis of the Impact on Power Grid Stabilization
by Tomasz Kozakowski, Michał Kozioł, Adam Koniuszy and Krzysztof Tkaczyk
Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2659; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052659 - 9 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1032
Abstract
This review synthesizes recent progress in modern energy storage technologies and proposes a selection-oriented comparison for power-system stabilization. Technologies are grouped into electrochemical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal storage, and evaluated using harmonized criteria (power and energy capability, response time, round-trip efficiency, lifetime, cost [...] Read more.
This review synthesizes recent progress in modern energy storage technologies and proposes a selection-oriented comparison for power-system stabilization. Technologies are grouped into electrochemical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal storage, and evaluated using harmonized criteria (power and energy capability, response time, round-trip efficiency, lifetime, cost proxies, and maturity level). A comparative dataset and use-case mapping are used to link technology characteristics to grid services, with emphasis on voltage support, operational durability, and waste-heat utilization. The analysis highlights pumped-storage hydropower as the most robust option for long-duration, high-capacity applications, while battery energy storage systems are best suited for fast ancillary services, provided that cycle life, safety, and system integration constraints are met. Finally, the review discusses current technology trends (e.g., LFP and sodium-ion deployment, solid-state development, and commercialization barriers for lithium-sulfur) and identifies evidence-based directions for future research and deployment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Optimizing Thermal Design in Energy Storage Systems—2nd Edition)
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