To transform the global energy system in alignment with the Paris Agreement, rapid adoption of renewable energy across all types of energy use is essential. Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technologies can facilitate the integration of a significant proportion of renewable energy in power generation, industry, and buildings. TES technologies provide unique advantages, such as decoupling heating and cooling demand from immediate power generation and supply availability. The global TES market is projected to triple by 2030, increasing from 234 gigawatt hours (GWh) of installed capacity in 2019 to over 800 GWh within a decade. Investments in TES applications for cooling and power are anticipated to range between 13 billion Euro and 28 billion Euro during the same period. By promoting the transition to renewables, enhancing efficiency, and increasing electrification, investments in TES can help achieve long-term climate and sustainability objectives.

Over the past decade, interest in Thermal Energy Storage (TES) based on Phase Change Materials (PCM) has rapidly grown. However, their deployment has faced significant challenges, including low thermal conductivity (0.1-1 W/m·K), high capital costs (6-20 €/kg), and low stability. TES solution developers constantly grapple with finding the optimal balance between power capabilities, which are typically proportional to the cost of heat transfer methods, and energy capacity, which is inversely proportional to the volume occupied by these methods. Over the years, the researchers have proposed many solutions: helical and axial fins, meshes, micro- and macro encapsulation, porous structures, etc. One of the best available solutions is offered by metal foams that can present porosity higher than 95% and extremely high heat transfer performance. Metal foams, however, are expensive and present great technological issues related to TES manufacturing which hinder their effective deployment. Starting from this concept, MEXTES project aims at developing a new class of integrated latent heat TES for high temperature applications, by Additive Manufacturing technologies. The team assembled boasts a high level of multidisciplinary expertise, encompassing material science technology (L. Biasetto), thermal analysis, properties, measurement and applications (S. Mancin), and life cycle assessment of energy systems (A. Stoppato). Background knowledge on extrusion-based additive manufacturing, de-binding and sintering will allow to produce TES with improved efficiency. Expertise on thermal analysis, measurements and modelling will allow to measure the capacity of produced systems, so as to improve their efficiency. LCA analysis will be used from the very beginning of the project to evaluate the proper choice of materials and process and will be balanced with energy storage capacity.  With MEXTES we want to address one of the main technological challenges related to Thermal Energy Storage and heat waste management.