Steam accumulator
![District heating steam accumulator tower on the Churchill Gardens Estate, Pimlico, London, United Kingdom. This plant once used waste heat piped from Battersea Power Station on the opposite side of the River Thames. (January 2006)](/Images/godic/202502/13/Pimlico_accumulator_tower_14717.jpg")
A steam accumulator is an insulated steel pressure tank containing hot water and steam under pressure. It is a type of energy storage device. It can be used to smooth out peaks and troughs in demand for steam. Steam accumulators may take on a significance for energy storage in solar thermal energy projects. An example is the PS10 solar power tower plant near Seville, Spain and one planned for the "solar steam train" project in Sacramento, California.