Thermo-electric storage systems in renewable energy communities: Modeling challenges and perspectives

In this work, a comprehensive review of thermo-electric storage technologies within the context of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) is presented, focusing on modeling approaches and operational perspectives. The analysis spans over 170 scientific contributions. The study categorizes state-of-the-art into three core domains: thermal energy storage (TESS), electrical storage systems (ESS), and electric mobility. First, the review explores TESS technologies ranging from sensible to latent heat systems emphasizing their critical role in enabling demand-side management and building flexibility to mitigate renewable intermittency. Second, it critically assesses electrical storage modeling, comparing equivalent circuit models for batteries and supercapacitors to identify necessary trade-offs between computational simplicity and accuracy in State-of-Charge (SOC) estimation. Third, the emerging role of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is investigated, highlighting how Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) protocols transform passive loads into active mobile storage assets, thereby supporting the operational stability and economic viability of the community.