Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage
Solar energy is a sustainable and environmentally benign renewable energy source, offering clean energy without emitting greenhouse gases. Solar energy possesses the potential to satisfy global energy, heating, and cooling requirements. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies find their applicat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001661 |
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| author | Ayaz Akbar Naeem Abas Muhammad Shoaib Saleem Shoaib Rauf Aun Haider |
| author_facet | Ayaz Akbar Naeem Abas Muhammad Shoaib Saleem Shoaib Rauf Aun Haider |
| author_sort | Ayaz Akbar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar energy is a sustainable and environmentally benign renewable energy source, offering clean energy without emitting greenhouse gases. Solar energy possesses the potential to satisfy global energy, heating, and cooling requirements. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies find their applications at large scale as compared to photovoltaic system. In this study, a parabolic trough collector integrated with a stratified storage tank is dynamically simulated in TRNSYS® software to test different thermal energy storage materials at varying loads to evaluate efficiency and solar fraction. The heat capacity (Cp) and density (ρ) of materials were varied ranging from 950 to 1000 kg/m3 and 4.10–4.19 kJ/kg.K for water, 960 to 645 kg/m3 and 1.85–2.0 kJ/kg.K for thermal oil, 1700–2100 kg/m3 and 1.4–1.56 kJ/kg.K for molten salt, respectively. A 5.5 m2 parabolic dish collector prototype featuring a mirror and thermally insulated storage tank connected in a closed loop was designed and fabricated to analyse the thermal energy storage and transfer. Results showed that indirect thermal storage proves more compatible as it allows for the interchangeable use of heat transfer fluids like glycol-water mixtures and thermal oil, reducing rusting since the fluid only transfers heat to the storage tank without directly affecting the system. Key findings include a maximum solar fraction of 75–80 % during February and September, and system efficiency ranging between 50 and 55 % under varying load conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ef08d544039644df9ae83a2d23437ebe |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-7908 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ef08d544039644df9ae83a2d23437ebe2025-08-20T03:28:25ZengElsevierCleaner Engineering and Technology2666-79082025-07-012710104310.1016/j.clet.2025.101043Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storageAyaz Akbar0Naeem Abas1Muhammad Shoaib Saleem2Shoaib Rauf3Aun Haider4Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat, PakistanDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat, Pakistan; Corresponding author.Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Management and Technology Lahore, Sialkot Campus, Sialkot, PakistanDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat, PakistanDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Management and Technology Lahore, Sialkot Campus, Sialkot, PakistanSolar energy is a sustainable and environmentally benign renewable energy source, offering clean energy without emitting greenhouse gases. Solar energy possesses the potential to satisfy global energy, heating, and cooling requirements. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies find their applications at large scale as compared to photovoltaic system. In this study, a parabolic trough collector integrated with a stratified storage tank is dynamically simulated in TRNSYS® software to test different thermal energy storage materials at varying loads to evaluate efficiency and solar fraction. The heat capacity (Cp) and density (ρ) of materials were varied ranging from 950 to 1000 kg/m3 and 4.10–4.19 kJ/kg.K for water, 960 to 645 kg/m3 and 1.85–2.0 kJ/kg.K for thermal oil, 1700–2100 kg/m3 and 1.4–1.56 kJ/kg.K for molten salt, respectively. A 5.5 m2 parabolic dish collector prototype featuring a mirror and thermally insulated storage tank connected in a closed loop was designed and fabricated to analyse the thermal energy storage and transfer. Results showed that indirect thermal storage proves more compatible as it allows for the interchangeable use of heat transfer fluids like glycol-water mixtures and thermal oil, reducing rusting since the fluid only transfers heat to the storage tank without directly affecting the system. Key findings include a maximum solar fraction of 75–80 % during February and September, and system efficiency ranging between 50 and 55 % under varying load conditions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001661Concentrated solar powerRenewable energySustainabilityThermal energy storageTRNSYS |
| spellingShingle | Ayaz Akbar Naeem Abas Muhammad Shoaib Saleem Shoaib Rauf Aun Haider Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage Cleaner Engineering and Technology Concentrated solar power Renewable energy Sustainability Thermal energy storage TRNSYS |
| title | Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| title_full | Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| title_short | Enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid CSP systems: Design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| title_sort | enhancing solar energy efficiency with hybrid csp systems design and analysis of a parabolic dish collector integrated with thermal energy storage |
| topic | Concentrated solar power Renewable energy Sustainability Thermal energy storage TRNSYS |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001661 |
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