Novel Research on Solar Photothermal Technology: Theory, Design, System and Applications

A special issue of Optics (ISSN 2673-3269).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 6755

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Guest Editor
Renewable Energies Chair, Polo da Mitra da Universidade de Évora, Edifício Ário Lobo de Azevedo, 7000-083 Nossa Senhora da Tourega, Portugal
Interests: non-imaging optics; numerical modelling; concentrated solar power; solar process heat; thermochemical applications
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Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Solar Photothermal systems represent a strong opportunity for low-cost electricity/heat production. These systems, which can be associated with thermal storage systems (latent or sensible heat), are a promising alternative for the electrification of processes and technologies, capable immediate technical and technological realization in Residential/Services sectors, in the Non-Energy Intensive Industry or in urban and short-range mobility; the production and distribution of renewable fuels in economic sectors which are difficult to electrify, such as long-distance transport - road, air or sea – or industrial sectors based on high energy intensity processes – e.g., metallurgical, chemical, glass or cement.

The range of technologies fitting the scope of such processes is wide (e.g., evacuated collectors, CPC-type collectors, Linear Fresnel Reflectors, Parabolic troughs, etc.) depending upon the desired operating temperature for each process. However, these technologies are facing a tremendous challenge to improve their overall efficiency conversion to become more competitive in comparison to other technologies. In particular, the use solar photovoltaic technology for the electrification of several thermal processes is a real alternative, especially for temperatures below 200 °C, taking advantage of its current low-cost implementation.

This Special Issue invites original review articles on recent advances in photothermal systems (pure photothermal or hybrid systems) concerning the abovementioned topics, with an emphasis on new developments for this technology seeking its maximum performance and cost-effectiveness.

Dr. Diogo Canavarro
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • solar thermal
  • photothermal systems
  • energy storage
  • electricity production
  • solar process heat

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

7 pages, 1831 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Surface Heat of Luminescent Solar Concentrators
by Yujian Sun, Yongcao Zhang and Yilin Li
Optics 2021, 2(4), 259-265; https://doi.org/10.3390/opt2040024 - 16 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2846
Abstract
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been widely studied for their potential application as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). While numerous efforts have been made to improve the performance, the photothermal (PT) properties of LSCs are rarely investigated. In this report, we studied the PT properties [...] Read more.
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been widely studied for their potential application as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). While numerous efforts have been made to improve the performance, the photothermal (PT) properties of LSCs are rarely investigated. In this report, we studied the PT properties of an LSC with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.27% and a concentration ratio of 1.42. The results showed that the total PT power of the LSC was 13.2 W, and the heat was concentrated on the edge of the luminescent waveguide with a high heat power density of over 200 W m−2. Full article
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7 pages, 1660 KiB  
Article
A Preliminary Investigation on the Photothermal Properties of Luminescent Solar Concentrators
by Yilin Li, Yujian Sun, Yongcao Zhang and Wenji Dong
Optics 2021, 2(3), 148-154; https://doi.org/10.3390/opt2030014 - 5 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3017
Abstract
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are considered promising photovoltaic (PV) devices to circumvent practical issues of applying conventional solar panels to the built environment. However, LSCs suffer from low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) (typically <2% for devices of over 1 m2), despite [...] Read more.
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are considered promising photovoltaic (PV) devices to circumvent practical issues of applying conventional solar panels to the built environment. However, LSCs suffer from low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) (typically <2% for devices of over 1 m2), despite numerous efforts having been made to develop novel luminescent materials and optical techniques. In this report, we proposed to utilize photothermal (PT) energy of the LSCs to further improve the PCE. We conducted a preliminary investigation on the PV and PT properties of an LSC with dimensions of 300 mm × 300 mm × 5 mm. The results showed that the PT power (27.05 W) was much higher than the PV power (2.12 W). Further analysis indicated that the PCE could reach 3.41% for a device of 1 m2. Full article
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