Hot water and steam have become predominant energy carriers within industrial processes that use thermal energy. However, they are not exempt from the low efficiency of thermal processes, and there is a high potential for improvement in steam generation equipment (biomass boilers, cogeneration, etc.) and industrial processes. The challenge is to generate economically viable technologies for thermal storage systems that allow hot water and steam demands to be managed efficiently.

Generating an efficient hot water and steam storage system requires the development of advanced thermal storage materials at minimum cost, since it has to compete with systems that store heat in the form of hot water or steam. Naturally occurring phase-change materials are an optimal solution, since their energy density is multiplied by 3 and their natural origin reduces the cost of the materials. CIC energiGUNE has developed an innovative heat storage technology for water/steam based on naturally occurring phase change materials.