Exploring heat storage: innovations, risks, and future directions for sustainable energy

Heat storage is the process of capturing thermal energy for use at a later time, playing a key role in enhancing energy efficiency and enabling renewable energy integration. This paper examines heat storage technologies and their role in advancing sustainable energy systems, focusing on Switzerland. It evaluates opportunities and challenges in sensible, latent, and thermochemical storage, emphasising integration with renewable energy. A bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer identifies key trends and research gaps. Findings highlight challenges in scalability, efficiency, and integration with district heating and geothermal systems. However, opportunities exist in hybrid storage systems, material advancements, and renewable energy integration to enhance grid reliability. Policy and regulatory support are crucial to overcoming economic barriers and accelerating adoption. This study contributes to the growing knowledge of heat storage, emphasising its role in energy security and decarbonisation. The insights provided are valuable for researchers, policymakers, and energy practitioners working towards Switzerland’s energy transition.