The development of renewable energy sources and the optimization of energy storage technologies are hot topics of current research, which help to achieve sustainable economic and social development. Thermal energy storage (TES) is well suited for storing excess energy. Our research will focus on the sensible heat storage in which energy is stored in a medium by raising its temperature. When thermal energy storage is coupled with a concentrated solar power plant (CSP), the heat absorbed from solar by the thermal storage medium during daytime can also be used to generate electricity at night. In this way, the excess energy can be temporarily stored in the thermal storage medium first, avoiding the waste of energy on the one hand, and contributing to the stability of the electric grid on the other hand. The development of the next generation of concentrated solar power plants coupled to molten salt thermal storage systems relies on answering important fundamental questions about the chemical and thermodynamic properties of molten salts, as well as compatibility with advanced thermal storage tank designs and materials. In particular, there is interest in understanding the conditions for advanced thermal storage systems to achieve long life and safety goals.

(2) According to the corrosion mechanism, the experimental variables are controlled and group experiments are conducted to develop in-situ corrosion monitoring methods and early warning mechanisms for molten salt energy storage systems. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) will be used in our study to monitor the concentration of impurities such as chromate, oxide, nitrite, hydroxide, water in the solar salt in-situ. This is an electrochemical method in which a three-electrode system is inserted into a heated molten salt, voltage signals are applied, and corresponding current signals were generated through a potentiostat.