Employing bibliometric analysis to identify the trends, evolution, and future research directions of sand-based thermal energy storage systems

• Published in: Journal of energy storage Vol. 94; p. 112343
• Main Authors: Odoi-Yorke, Flavio, Opoku, Richard, Davis, Francis, Obeng, George Yaw
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 30.07.2024
• Subjects: Bibliometric analysis; Renewable energy sources; Sand; Thermal energy storage; Renewable energy sources; Thermal energy storage; Sand; Bibliometric analysis
• ISSN: 2352-152X; 2352-1538
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2024.112343

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are pivotal in enabling wider adoption of renewable energy sources by overcoming their intermittent nature. However, many existing TES systems suffer from high costs or limited scalability. TES systems using sand as a storage medium have gained significant research attention in recent years due to availability and low cost. This bibliometric analysis aims to comprehensively examine and map the rapidly evolving research trends and evolution of sand-based TES systems, an emerging low-cost solution leveraging sand's abundance and favourable thermal properties as a storage medium. A systematic search was conducted on the Scopus database using PRISMA guidelines, and 339 relevant documents were included for analysis. The biblioshiny package in R software was used to perform the bibliometric analysis. The results revealed increasing publication trends since 2003, with notable contributions from countries like the United States of America, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and Spain. Research hotspots focused on numerical and experimental investigations of sand-based TES systems to evaluate thermal performance and optimise design parameters. The key research gap identified is optimising sand-based TES systems using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms. Key future research directions include developing cost-effective sand property enhancement techniques, long-term stability assessments, design optimisation for applications like seasonal storage, and leveraging synergies between TES and other energy systems through detailed techno-economic analysis. The study provides comprehensive insights on growth, knowledge gaps, and a future roadmap to advance sand TES technology. This study will aid researchers in gaining a comprehensive overview of the field and identifying high-impact research areas to advance sand-based TES technology. •This study reviewed the development of sand-based thermal energy storage systems.•A total of 339 relevant documents between 2003 and 2023 were reviewed.•The current trends and potential future research directions on the subject were analysed.•China and the USA are the top publishing countries in the research area.•Journal of Energy Storage is among the top journals with the most publications in the research area.