Industries working on the development of thermal energy storage technologies and products experience the challenges in optimise material and component performance for their thermal storage applications. With this workshop, we would like to bring these industries in contact with the experts working on thermal energy storage materials and components in so-called Tasks of the International Energy Agency.

In a series of short presentations, experts will highlight recent achievements in the development of materials and components for thermal energy storage for high-temperature sensible, phase change and thermochemical energy storage technologies. These presentations give ground to a discussion with the industry experts: what are their challenges in their present development and their wishes for better development and innovation?

Thermal Energy Storage is one of the main topics of the conference, making it very worthwhile to also attend the Eurosun2026.

• 13:00 Welcome and program
  Wim van Helden, Christoph Rathgeber
• 13:10 Presentations (10-minute pitches, giving room to questions and ideas from the audience)
  • TES material development and testing
    Christoph Rathgeber, ZAE Bayern (DE)
  • Some examples of TES applications from Task 74
    Wim van Helden, AEE INTEC (AT) Jorge Salgado Beceiro, SINTEF (NO)
  • Use cases of Power-to-Heat and Heat integrated Carnot Batteries 
    Kevin Ludwig, DLR (DE)
  • Possibilities and chances for State of Charge determination
    Gerald Englmair, DTU (DK)
  • PCM-Based Heat Pump Water Heater Prototypes: Testing under EN 16147 HW Conditions 
    Tilman Barz, AIT (AT)
• 14:30 Coffee/tea break
  • Optimal integration of Thermal Energy Storage (TES): technological capabilities and key challenges in system behaviour for the energy transition
    Ana Lazaro, Univ. of Zaragoza (ES)
  • Shallow insulated seasonal horizontal UTES for agricultural sector
    Diane Le Roux, Univ. Bretagne Sud (FR)
  • Performance of an ice storage coupled to heat pumps
    Christian Wagner, FH OÖ (AT)
  • Production up-scaling and its challenges focusing on salt hydrate PCMs
    Esther Kieseritzky, Rubitherm (DE)

Target Audience

Professionals working in the thermal energy storage industry interested in exchanging insights and discussing current challenges, needs, and requirements.

Participant Information

The workshop is free of charge and will be one day prior to the Eurosun2026 Conference.

More information and registration can be found on the Eurosun2026 Conference website.

Registration

Please send a short e-mail with name and affiliation to w.vanhelden@aee.at and
Christoph.Rathgeber@zae-bayern.de

Christian Fink
E-Mail: c.fink@aee.at