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The Development and Utilization of Solar Energy in Space Cooling

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2026 | Viewed by 407

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS), Heriot-Watt University, Dubai P.O. Box 38103, United Arab Emirates
Interests: solar powered cooling system

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS), Heriot-Watt University, Dubai P.O. Box 38103, United Arab Emirates
Interests: polygeneration energy systems; waste heat recovery; nanofluids; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global demand for sustainable energy solutions is intensifying, particularly in regions facing extreme climates and water scarcity. Solar energy, as a clean and abundant resource, offers transformative potential in space cooling applications. This Special Issue aims to explore cutting-edge research, technologies and implementations that harness solar energy to address cooling needs, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.

Scope and Objectives

This Special Issue will focus on the integration of solar technologies in the following:

  • Space Cooling Systems: Passive and active cooling strategies using solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, solar-assisted air conditioning and hybrid cooling technologies.
  • System Optimization and Integration: Smart control systems and energy storage solutions in solar-integrated cooling systems.
  • Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments: Life cycle analysis, cost–benefit studies and sustainability evaluations of solar cooling.
  • Case Studies and Field Deployments: Real-world applications, pilot projects and performance evaluations in different geographic contexts.

Target Audience

Researchers, engineers, policymakers and industry professionals working in renewable energy, HVAC systems and sustainable development.

Potential Topics

  • Solar-assisted absorption and adsorption cooling systems
  • Photovoltaic-powered cooling technologies
  • Energy storage for solar cooling
  • AI and IoT in solar-cooling system optimization.

Dr. Fadi Ghaith
Dr. Omar Sharaf
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • solar powered cooling systems
  • absorption chillers
  • energy storage

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

40 pages, 4879 KB  
Article
Design and Optimization of Solar-Powered Cooling/Heating System with Heat Pump Integration for Natatoriums in Hot–Arid Climates
by Fadi Ghaith, Zaid Al Rayes and Asma’u Umar
Energies 2026, 19(10), 2359; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19102359 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 165
Abstract
Decarbonizing HVAC in hot–arid regions is challenging for natatoriums because year-round cooling must be delivered alongside stringent dehumidification and occasional heating under high ambient temperatures. In this paper, a fully renewable system has been developed and evaluated for an indoor swimming pool located [...] Read more.
Decarbonizing HVAC in hot–arid regions is challenging for natatoriums because year-round cooling must be delivered alongside stringent dehumidification and occasional heating under high ambient temperatures. In this paper, a fully renewable system has been developed and evaluated for an indoor swimming pool located in Abu Dhabi with a 679 m2 swimming pool hall designed to accommodate 200 pool users. The hybrid system includes a high-temperature linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) solar field, stratified thermal energy storage (TES), a single-effect LiBr–H2O absorption chiller for cooling, a water-to-water heat pump as a backup system for the stability of cooling and heating rates, and a photovoltaic (PV) system to offset the ancillary equipment power input of the hybrid system. The system performance was simulated and validated by using hourly data from Abu Dhabi. Optimization of design/operation parameters was carried out by a multi-objective genetic algorithm to achieve the maximum coefficient of performance (COP) and the minimum levelized cost of cooling (LCOE). The initial COP and LCOE were 0.701 and 0.037 $/kWh, respectively. They were optimized to 0.825 and 0.0254 $/kWh, respectively. The annual energy balance revealed a synergistic operation of the solar field, TES, and heat pump. The lifecycle assessment was utilized to compare the proposed hybrid system with the conventional vapor-compression systems in terms of energy, cost, and CO2 emissions, in which the proposed system proved superior over conventional systems with a positive net present value (NPV) and net zero carbon emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development and Utilization of Solar Energy in Space Cooling)
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