Thermal energy storage system

A thermal energy storage (TES) component comprising:

• a shell defining an enclosed volume, and having a first port into the volume and a second port into the volume;
• a set of spaced-apart thermally conductive sealed tubes disposed in the enclosed volume, the set of spaced-apart thermally conductive sealed tubes each enclosing a TES media;
• a plurality of electrical heating elements, each heating element associated with one sealed tube of the set of sealed tubes and immersed in the TES media enclosed in the associated sealed tube;
• at least one baffle disposed in the shell between the first port and the second port;
• a flow path for a heat transfer fluid extending through the first port into the enclosed volume in spaces between the sealed tubes, around the at least one baffle, and through the second port;
• wherein the set of sealed tubes are tapered tubes having a large end and a small end, and wherein the heating element extends from the large end part way towards the small end;
• and
• wherein the tapered sealed tubes are oriented in opposite directions within the shell, such that a large end of each sealed tube is near to a small end of at least one neighboring sealed tube.