Solar Energy for Cooling and Heating: Theory, Methods and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the rapidly evolving field of solar energy applications in heating and cooling systems, a domain of critical importance in the context of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and transition toward sustainable energy solutions. As buildings and industrial processes account for a significant proportion of global energy consumption—particularly for heating, cooling, and supplying hot water—harnessing solar energy offers a compelling path toward energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

The aim of this Issue is to gather high-quality research and review papers that explore the theoretical advancements, innovative methodologies, and cutting-edge applications of solar-driven systems for thermal comfort and process needs. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, solar thermal collectors (both non-tracking and tracking), solar photovoltaic systems, hybrid solar solutions, and system integration strategies for enhanced performance and reliability.

We particularly encourage submissions that address the following:

• Solar thermal technologies for space and water heating, including both passive and active systems.
• Solar cooling methods, such as photovoltaic-driven vapor compression systems and thermally driven sorption and desiccant cooling cycles.
• Energy storage solutions that enable stable and efficient solar energy use across time scales, including sensible heat storage, latent heat storage using phase change materials, and advanced sorption or thermochemical storage.
• System modeling, simulation, and optimization, as well as techno-economic assessments and life-cycle analyses of solar heating and cooling systems.
• Innovative applications and case studies, including building-integrated solar solutions, solar-assisted heat pumps, and hybrid PV/T systems.

In light of recent advances in solar collector efficiency, material science, and control technologies, this Issue also seeks to highlight multidisciplinary approaches and cross-sector innovations. Research that bridges the gap between laboratory-scale findings and real-world implementations is especially welcome.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to share their knowledge, present breakthroughs, and advance the state-of-the-art in solar energy utilization for thermal management. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, we hope to contribute to creating a more sustainable and energy-resilient built environment.

Dr. Andreu Moià-Pol
Prof. Dr. Iván Alonso de Miguel
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Solar is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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.

• solar cooling
• solar heating
• evaporative cooling
• solar architecture