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Energies
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The Future of Solar Thermal Energy
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The Future of Solar Thermal Energy

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2017) | Viewed by 16943

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Patrick Phelan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Interests: energy efficiency; buildings; heat transfer; thermal engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The application of solar thermal energy, at least with respect to the generation of electricity (concentrating solar power, or CSP), is particularly challenged now because the cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) continues to fall.  The often stated advantage of CSP is the ability to store energy in the form of heat, but that advantage is also being eroded because of continuing advances and cost reductions in battery technologies. Solar water heating, while being very important in some countries, also has to face increasing competition from electric heat pump water heaters that reduce its efficiency advantages. Therefore, what are the prospects for the solar thermal engineering community? This Special Issue highlights and addresses what appear to be promising R&D opportunities in solar thermal energy, with the goal of suggesting possible directions for continued and new research that can yield substantial impact.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Phelan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • solar
  • thermal
  • energy
  • future
  • impact
  • directions

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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4107 KiB  
Article
Modeling and Control of Fluid Flow Networks with Application to a Nuclear-Solar Hybrid Plant
by Zhe Dong, Yifei Pan, Zuoyi Zhang, Yujie Dong and Xiaojin Huang
Energies 2017, 10(11), 1912; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111912 - 20 Nov 2017
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4673
Abstract
Fluid flow networks (FFNs) can be utilized to integrate multiple once-through heat supply system (OTHSS) modules based on either the same or different energy resources such as the renewable, nuclear and fossil for multi-modular and hybrid energy systems. Modeling and control is very [...] Read more.
Fluid flow networks (FFNs) can be utilized to integrate multiple once-through heat supply system (OTHSS) modules based on either the same or different energy resources such as the renewable, nuclear and fossil for multi-modular and hybrid energy systems. Modeling and control is very important for the safe, stable and efficient operation of the FFNs, whose objective is to maintain both the flowrates and pressure-drops of the network branches within specific bounds. In this paper, a differential-algebraic nonlinear dynamic model for general FFNs with multiple pump branches is proposed based on both the branch hydraulics and network graph properties. Then, an adaptive decentralized FFN flowrate-pressure control law, which takes a proportional-integral (PI) form with saturation on the integral terms, is established. This newly-built control not only guarantees satisfactory closed-loop global stability but also has no need for the values of network hydraulic parameters. This adaptive control is then applied to the flowrate-pressure regulation of the secondary FFN of a two-modular nuclear-solar hybrid energy system and numerical simulation results show the feasibility and high performance of this network control strategy. Due to its concise form, this new flowrate-pressure FFN controller can be easily implemented practically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future of Solar Thermal Energy)
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Review

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29 pages, 21294 KiB  
Review
Novel Receiver-Enhanced Solar Vapor Generation: Review and Perspectives
by Aikifa Raza, Jin-You Lu, Safa Alzaim, Hongxia Li and TieJun Zhang
Energies 2018, 11(1), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11010253 - 20 Jan 2018
Cited by 65 | Viewed by 10993
Abstract
Efficient solar vapor/steam generation is important for various applications ranging from power generation, cooling, desalination systems to compact and portable devices like drinking water purification and sterilization units. However, conventional solar steam generation techniques usually rely on costly and cumbersome optical concentration systems [...] Read more.
Efficient solar vapor/steam generation is important for various applications ranging from power generation, cooling, desalination systems to compact and portable devices like drinking water purification and sterilization units. However, conventional solar steam generation techniques usually rely on costly and cumbersome optical concentration systems and have relatively low efficiency due to bulk heating of the entire liquid volume. Recently, by incorporating novel light harvesting receivers, a new class of solar steam generation systems has emerged with high vapor generation efficiency. They are categorized in two research streams: volumetric and floating solar receivers. In this paper, we review the basic principles of these solar receivers, the mechanism involving from light absorption to the vapor generation, and the associated challenges. We also highlight the two routes to produce high temperature steam using optical and thermal concentration. Finally, we propose a scalable approach to efficiently harvest solar energy using a semi-spectrally selective absorber with near-perfect visible light absorption and low thermal emittance. Our proposed approach represents a new development in thermally concentrated solar distillation systems, which is also cost-effective and easy to fabricate for rapid industrial deployment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Future of Solar Thermal Energy)
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