Can thermal storage materials provide cooling

Thermal energy storage is a method of storing thermal energy in a material or system, which can be used later to provide heating or cooling. Thermal energy storage (TES) for cooling can be traced to ancient Greece and Rome where snow was transported from distant mountains to cool drinks and for bathing water for the wealthy. Cool storage technology can be used to significantly reduce energy costs by allowing energy-intensive, electrically driven cooling equipment to be predominantly oper-ated during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower. Sometimes called ‘heat batteries,’ TES technologies work to decouple the availability of heat generated from renewable electricity, solar thermal.