Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is becoming an increasingly important technology for flexible and energy-efficient energy systems. By storing heat or cold for later use, TES can support renewable energy integration, reduce peak electricity demand, and contribute to industrial electrification and decarbonisation. As heating and cooling represent a major share of global energy use, TES is gaining strategic relevance for buildings, industry, district energy systems, and emerging sectors such as data centres.
SINTEF Energy Research represents Norway in the International Energy Agency (IEA) technology collaboration programmes for Energy Storage (ES) and for Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC), with the ES Task 47 / SHC Task 74: Thermal Energy Storage Applications and Systems Integration. The Task gathers international experts from research institutes, universities, and industry to accelerate the development and deployment of TES technologies. SINTEF also leads Subtask A, focused on commercial TES applications and case studies, including the mapping of suppliers, technologies, and deployment trends across different sectors and temperature ranges.
The Norwegian participation strengthens national expertise and international visibility within thermal energy storage, energy flexibility, and industrial decarbonisation. Through workshops, expert meetings, dissemination activities, and collaboration with international partners, the project contributes to connecting Norwegian research and industry with global developments in energy storage and system integration. As part of this work, SINTEF Energy Research is hosting one of the international Task expert meetings in Trondheim in December 2026. The project is co-funded by ENOVA.