Thermal Energy Storage for Sustainable Smart Agricultural Facilities: Design, Integration, Control, Environmental Impacts, and Future Perspectives

Smart agricultural systems need stable thermal environments for greenhouses, livestock housing, and on-farm processing. However, renewable heat sources such as solar collectors and heat pumps often cause fluctuations that challenge reliable operation. Thermal energy storage (TES)—particularly water-based sensible tanks, stratified reservoirs, and phase-change material (PCM) systems—provides an effective solution by decoupling heat supply and demand. In this review, tank-based TES technologies for agricultural applications, focusing on design, integration with renewable energy systems, and control strategies, are critically examined. Key performance aspects, including thermal stratification, state-of-charge estimation, and advanced predictive control, are analyzed to identify best practices and limitations. The review finds that sensible TES remains dominant in farm applications due to its low cost and durability, while latent (PCM/ice) and thermochemical storage provide a higher energy density and long-duration potential but are presently limited by material stability, system complexity, and cost. From an environmental perspective, TES contributes to reducing fossil fuel dependence, improving resource efficiency, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and boosting the resilience of rural farming systems. Overall, TES is recognized as a key enabling technology for climate-smart, energy-efficient, and sustainable agricultural operations. However, remaining research gaps include long-term field validation, standardized performance metrics, and life-cycle environmental assessment.